


The Healing Process

by LetsPlayKate



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Awkward Flirting, Bad Puns, Depression, F/F, Fluff, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slow Burn, Strangers to Friends, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-16
Updated: 2019-02-11
Packaged: 2019-04-01 00:01:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 29,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13986126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LetsPlayKate/pseuds/LetsPlayKate
Summary: Three years ago, a devastating accident changed Fareeha Amari's life forever and while time may help heal physical wounds, psychological wounds are harder to mend. After uprooting her entire life and moving across the country with her best friends, Fareeha finds herself falling for a local pharmacist. A roller coaster of angst and awkwardness ensues.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! This is the first time I have ever written anything remotely creative. So, forgive me if this is terrible haha. I have several chapters already written, but will probably be posting once a week to give myself a nice buffer between the chapters I have posted and those I have yet to write. This is totally unbeta'd so if you see any errors just give me a heads up and I will make edits!
> 
> Sit down and buckle up, because you are in for a wild ride. Or not. I just like to be dramatic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! This is the first time I have ever written anything remotely creative. So, forgive me if this is terrible haha. I have several chapters already written, but will probably be posting once a week to give myself a nice buffer between the chapters I have posted and those I have yet to write. This is totally unbeta'd so if you see any errors just give me a heads up and I will make edits!
> 
> Sit down and buckle up, because you are in for a wild ride. Or not. I just like to be dramatic.

It was cold. Thirteen degrees, to be exact; two degrees with the wind chill. An icy gust bit at Fareeha Amari’s cheeks as she stood outside a large box truck. The cold burst penetrated her winter jacket causing an uncontrollable  shiver. She yanked her winter hat down farther over her ears and cupped her mitten-clad hands to her mouth to warm them with her breath, waiting for the wind to die down. It was useless. She hopped in place hoping the movement would help against the cold, before grabbing two boxes and heading towards the house.  Cold was an understatement.

Despite being born in the states, Fareeha spent the majority of her life living with her extended family in Egypt while her mother was deployed.  This, for the most part, had left her vastly unprepared for the cold weather she was currently experiencing. Over the last day and a half, she and her friends, Lena and Emily Oxton, drove across the country to start a new life in the house she was now standing in front of. The decision to move had been abrupt, but not one that was taken lightly. She didn’t really have much of a choice in the matter anyways.

The past few years had been a rocky road- not only Fareeha, but also Lena. The turning point had been when Lena had alcohol induced epiphany that Emily was ‘the one’ and she was ready to leave the military to settle down. The next day, Fareeha and Lena went to pick out a ring. Despite her massive hangover, Fareeha was happy for her friend. Lena proposed that night and they got married at the courthouse that weekend. Fareeha proudly stood by their side as Lena’s “best man” with Emily’s sister as her maid of honor. Lena never really did anything at a slow pace and this was fitting and perfect.

The next step was settling down. Soon after their wedding, Fareeha came home to the newlyweds sitting on the couch in their shared apartment. They told her they didn’t want to stay living in the city anymore; they wanted a home, not an apartment. Fareeha’s mother, Ana, who loved Lena like a daughter of her own, had seen a house on sale several blocks away from her house. She thought it was perfect for them and she emailed the listing to Lena. They broke the news before Fareeha even got a chance to take a seat- they were moving, and Fareeha was more than welcomed to come with them.

What else could she do? Live by herself, lonely, in a shitty apartment downtown with no real friends or family in the area? When she finally agreed (only a day later) she called her mother and broke the news. She was overjoyed. Fareeha had to pull the phone away from her ear as she listened to her mother shout with joy to her boyfriend, Reinhardt, whose booming laugh she could hear even with the phone a foot from her ear. Ana and Reinhardt had been together for as long as she could remember. He basically raised her as if she was his own daughter, however they never chose to use any titles.

Two and a half weeks later, they packed and left their old apartment behind, starting the 12 hour trip to a quaint little town in the Upper Midwest, not three blocks from her mother. Fareeha was only staying with Lena and Emily until she became more stable. They continued to tell her that they loved her and she was welcomed in their home for as long as she needed it. It’s true— Lena was like the little sister she never had, and she considered Emily a close friend. But it was  their home. The only real alternative was being a 28 year old staying in her high school room at her parents house. And that sure as hell was not happening. So here they were- in a cold city, on the other side of the country, unpacking a box truck full of their worldly possessions.

The truck was nearly empty other than a few smaller pieces of furniture, some stray boxes, and Lena and Emily’s mattress. Thankfully, Reinhardt had shown up earlier in the day to help for several hours. He and Fareeha made quick work of Lena and Emily’s bed frame and drawers. Getting the larger of the two couches had been a hassle to try and fit it through the door frame, though the second attempt was more successful. Once the larger furniture was taken inside, Reinhardt left to take Ana out for lunch, promising to be back within an hour.

“Lena, remind me again. Why do I always have to carry the heavy stuff?” Fareeha asked, annoyed, as she entered the house with a heavy box labeled ‘Kitchen’, and a smaller box with her own name scribbled across the side. 

“Have you seen these noodle arms I’ve got? I’m not nearly as strong as you!” Lena waggled her arms after she sat her two small boxes on the couch. Fareeha sighed, continuing into the kitchen to deposit the heavy box onto the counter. She took the remaining box up to her new room which was bare, at the moment. It probably would stay that way, to be honest. She wasn’t much of an interior designer. Most of her adult life had been spent in tents in the Middle East or in small quarters on the bases where she was stationed. Frequently moving around never really allowed her to settle in one place.

She didn’t have that many things anyways.  This box was the last of hers to unload, so Fareeha used the opportunity to unpack her clothes and hang them in her new closet. The remaining clothes— items that would go in her new dresser set, which had yet to be assembled— were two of the four remaining boxes that now sat in her room. Four boxes contained her entire life.  _How depressing_ , she thought to herself as she turned to look out the window in disgust at the snow-covered truck parked in front of the house.

Winter was  Fareeha’s least favorite season for many reasons. The sky was always cloudy and gray. The days were shorter and it was dark longer. Snow and sleet caused traffic and unnecessarily long lines at the grocery store. Not to mention that the cold, in general, was obviously something that she was not accustomed to. However, most of all, she hated what it did to her injury. Fareeha shifted uncomfortably, placing weight onto her left leg. The cold caused unwanted pain in her leg where metal met flesh. Truthfully, it wasn’t  painful as much as it was annoying. A dull ache that never really went away during the colder months.

She was 25 when it happened— the mission that they didn’t talk about; the explosion that got her medically discharged from the military. She lost her right leg and the hearing in her right ear, not to mention the psychological effects, but that was a whole other story.  The military gave her a state-of-the-art cybernetic leg. It allowed her to walk and move unhindered. Getting used to it was harder than she expected. It’s hard walking without feeling your leg. Knowing that  something is there— not a leg, but an ugly, metal substitute. 

Most people didn’t even know she was missing her leg and she liked to keep it that way. It wasn’t something she wanted on display- the byproduct of her failure. The only ones who knew were the ones that were closest to her— the ones who were by her side when she was in a coma; who took her to and from physical therapy for months on end; sat by her side when she was so depressed she couldn’t even eat or get out of bed. She could count those people on two hands. The sound of Reinhardt’s booming laughter broke her out of her thoughts. She looked down to see him and her mother standing on the walkway to the front door, motioning her to open the window.

“Fareeha, what are you doing up there just staring out of the window? It’s creepy. Come down and help us finish up with the boxes so we can get rid of this unsightly truck and get dinner,” Ana called out, carrying a small box. Reinhardt was comically struggling to maintain a hold on four boxes of his own before moving past the smaller woman. She chuckled to herself at the sight and closed the window before returning to help the others.

Descending the stairs, she saw Lena and Emily crouched near the television, random wires surrounding them. They were searching through the tangled mess, arguing about a missing HDMI cable. Ana was in the kitchen, unpacking boxes and putting plates and utensils away. She thanked Emily, who put post-it notes on each cabinet, indicating what would be stocked in them so that others could unpack the kitchen. Reinhardt passed Fareeha as he was making his way back inside with several dining chairs stacked in his arms. 

The cold air assaulted Fareeha as she jogged down the concrete stairs to the sidewalk. There was only a few more heavier boxes that were assigned to Fareeha and Reinhardt to bring inside. Other than that, dust and the mattress were the only thing that remained. Grabbing a heavy box of books that went in the office, Fareeha made her way back towards the house. Lena had shoveled the snow when they initially arrived, but in the hours since then, the snow had coated the ground, obscuring a large patch of ice on the sidewalk.

The moment Fareeha stepped on the ice, her foot slipped causing her to lose her balance . The weight from the box of books sent her careening backwards towards the pavement. Her ass hit the hard, cold ground before anything else, sending a shooting pain up her spine. The scream of pain caught in her throat, as all of the wind was knocked out of her from the books landing squarely on her stomach. She was laying on the snowy sidewalk when Reinhardt walked out to see her, gasping for air, heaving the box off her body.

“Fareeha!” His voice got the attention of the others who quickly abandoned their unpacking. It only took several seconds before the four were standing around her, speaking over each other asking if she was okay or hurt. Fareeha stilled for a moment, catching her breath, before attempting to sit up. She  shrieked  as pain radiated throughout her entire back, preventing her from moving any further. Ana reached out to help her sit up, only to have her hands slapped away.

“No! I can’t move. It hurts to move,” Fareeha cried out as she stayed paralyzed in pain, tensing her back as to not move a single muscle. “Don’t move me!”.

“Fareeha, you can’t stay on the cold ground. We’ll help you get up and we can get you on the couch”.

“Please, no! It hurts too much. Please just leave me here for a minute,” Fareeha begged as tears welled in her eyes. Her back began to cramp and explode with pain again. “God, mom, it hurts so much”.

Ana stood up from her crouched position to fish her phone out of her pocket. The next several minutes were spent arguing with her primary doctor. She asked to him to prescribe a muscle relaxant, or anything really, but he was skeptical without having seen her as a patient. The doctor wanted them to take her to an Urgent Care, but Ana had other plans. Several guilt trips later, and she hung up the phone with a triumphant smirk.

“Okay, so we just have to go into town and pick up the prescription. It’s only a few days worth. So, if it goes beyond that, she’ll have to make an appointment . Who wants to take her?”

Fareeha lay on the sidewalk, snow collecting on her while she tried to suppress her shivers. Even the slightest movement that involved any of her back muscles caused her excruciating pain. She heard Ana giving Lena directions to the drugstore while the car was warming up. It dawned on her that she had to get off the ground to get into the car. Perhaps they would just let her lay there until Lena came back with the medication, but that was unlikely.

“I’m sorry, little bird,” was the only thing Fareeha heard before  Reinhardt scooped her up in his arms with ease, causing her to scream in agony, tears now freely falling down her cheeks, and deposited her in the passengers side of Lena’s car.  He frowned as he closed the door finally allowing them to leave for the pharmacy.

The drive itself was short and painful. The small town was less than 5 minutes away from their new home. Fareeha would have enjoyed the sights if she had not had her eyes clenched, tortured by the bumps and turns of the car ride. Lena parked the car running around to the other side to help Fareeha. Getting out was a lot easier than she anticipated; as long as she made slow, cautious movements, the pain was just a dull ache. Once Fareeha was standing, Lena placed the taller woman's hands on her shoulders, steadying her. They slowly walked towards the drugstore doors with words of encouragement from Lena, while groans of pain mixed with grumbles about how the “pharmacy was always in the back of the store”, and “why did it have to be so far away”, could be heard from Fareeha.

The drugstore itself was fairly empty with four small aisles lining the middle of the store. There was only check line where an auburn haired teenager was lazily organizing the items on the counter. She looked up at the sound of the bell on the door ringing and Fareeha’s pained whimpers to see the pair walking through the door. In an instant, she was by their side, holding the door open so that they both could walk through without any more problems.

“Oh, gosh. Are you okay? Can I help?” 

“Hiya, love. My friend, Fareeha, here is in a ton of pain. Think you can take over for me and walk her to a chair or somethin’ so I can get her meds?”. The cashier nodded quickly and swapped positions with Lena, allowing her to rush off to the counter of the pharmacy in the back of the store.

“Okay, Fareeha, there’s a bench by the pharmacy; I’m gonna take you there. I’m Brigitte, by the way”. She only received a grunt in response as she slowly navigated Fareeha through the store. As soon as they got to the bench, Fareeha gingerly took a seat on the small bench, turning to lay down and sighing in relief, finally able to relax her muscles. Lena popped back into her sight with a bottle of water and with a fist in front of her face. Seeing Fareeha’s confused face, she showed her the pill. She happily took the pill with a sip of water before laying her head back down, getting comfortable.

“Flexeril,”  Fareeha snickered to herself as she read the label of the pill bottle that Lena given her. “I would Flex-eril for you if I wasn’t in so much pain right now”. Lena shook her head tiredly and rolled her eyes.

“Do you think you can babysit while I go run some errands? Just so the meds have time to kick in before moving her again.”. A nod was all Lena needed before yelling a quick thanks and something about ‘puns being the death of her’; Fareeha didn’t hear, nor did she care. She waved as she headed towards the doors. Brigitte watched as she left before turning back to Fareeha, still smiling.

“I have to go ring a few customers up, but if you need anything, you can call to the girls in the pharmacy. They’d be more than happy to help. I’ll be back as soon as possible”.

Fareeha nodded and looked up, behind her, towards the pharmacy, to see a short woman with thick rimmed glasses looking over at her and waving. From her view, the woman was upside down. Fareeha awkwardly waved back and went back to reading the orange pill bottle, biding her time and waiting for the medication to start working.

“So, you like puns, huh?”. Close to thirty minutes had passed before Brigitte made her way back to the bench Fareeha was occupying. It was a humorous sight, as Fareeha was not a small woman. Reaching 5’11” in height, she was taller than most women she knew, with fairly broad shoulders to boot. An ‘athletic build’, as her mother used to say. She hardly fit on the bench, to say the least.

“That’s a punderstatement,” Fareeha mumbled in response with a grin. She was feeling drowsy now, a side effect of the medication, mixed with the fact that she spent the entire day moving heavy boxes and furniture. Thankfully, the pain in her back subsided some time ago. She cautiously tested small movements before reaching her hand out to Brigitte. The girl grabbed her arm and forearm with both hands, helping her sit up, and plopped down beside her.

Now that she wasn’t in pain, she could properly survey the store. It was as ‘small town drugstore’ as you could get. Several customers littered the store, milling about whilst waiting for their medications to be filled. The aisles were filled with the essentials— basic food items, over the counter medicines, and first aid items. One of the walls was lined with several glass doors showcasing various chilled drinks. Finally, her eyes fell on the pharmacy. More specifically, the woman behind the counter. She was not the same short, upside down, woman she saw previously. In her stead, was an actual angel; for Fareeha, there was no other explanation.

The shorter girl beside began talking to her about her love of puns, but Fareeha couldn’t hear a word that she was saying, entranced by the beauty of the pharmacist.  Her golden hair pulled was into a ponytail, bouncing as she spoke to the customer in line. Exquisite lips upturned in a smile while she spoke, explaining the side effects of whatever medication she was talking about. She stood  straight with her head held high, confident and self-assured.  Piercing blue eyes glanced towards her, causing Fareeha to snap her head away and setting her cheeks ablaze.

“Her name is Angela,” Brigitte said, stifling a giggle.

“How fitting. An angel named Angela” Fareeha mused quietly to herself (and Brigitte), but before her thoughts of Angela could roam any farther, Lena came jogging into sight, her cheeks reddened and hair windswept from the cold winds outside.

“Oi, what’s her deal? Why are her eyes so glassy?”, Lena asked Brigitte, who shrugged despite the knowing grin plastered on her smug face. 

“It’s nothing… I’m just tired from unpacking the truck,” Fareeha lied, giving the teen a pleading look. Brigitte smiled and rolled her eyes in response. She stood up and excused herself from the two, turning to raise her eyebrows and give a thumbs up behind Lena’s back indicating that she would keep her secret for now.

She sighed in relief and nodded a ‘thank you’ before listening to Lena complain about the line at the grocery store and the upcoming snow storm later in the week. She hurried Fareeha along, seeing that she was now sitting, without any issues or pains. As the pair of them left, they waved and thanked the employees of the drugstore, Fareeha making absolute certain that she did not make eye contact with Angela as they said their goodbyes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks everyone for all of your amazing comments and kudos! I appreciate it!
> 
> This chapter is mostly character and relationship development! Enjoy!
> 
> Edit: It's come to my attention that Blizzard confirmed that Brigitte is Torb's youngest daughter. Makes sense. So I just did a swip swap and it's all good in the neighborhood now.

Fareeha quickly closed the door behind Lena, sighing as the warmth of the coffee shop spread over her. Suddenly she was hit with the delicious smell of ground coffee and pastries. Fareeha shook her head and limbs, Lena following suit, ridding themselves of the remaining chill, and scanned the room for Ana and Reinhardt. Her eyes landed on the titan of a man after Lena pointed to him sitting alone at a table in the corner of the room; he was hard to miss. Fareeha unraveled the scarf that protected her neck from the cold air and followed the shorter girl between the maze of tables and patrons to their destination. Resting the scarf on the back of the chair, with her jacket, she greeted Reinhardt.

“Fareeha! Your mother just went up to pick up our drinks,” Reinhardt boomed standing up to give Fareeha a hug, enveloping her entire body in the embrace, nearly forcing the air out of her chest cavity. A bear hug, he used to call them. When they parted, he gave Lena a slap on the back, knocking her forward with a giggle. Reinhardt never really understood his own strength. “How have you been! Your mother and I are so happy that you two came!”

“I’m doing great, Rein. Just trying to adjust to this awful weather,” she scowled, casting a distasteful glance to the wall of windows behind her, the only barrier between them and the frigid weather. Lena dropped into her seat and nodded in agreement. In the midst of their greetings, Ana returned, a smile at her lips, holding two cups― one filled to the brim with coffee, the other a faint darkening liquid with a string hanging along the side of the cup. She placed one down in front of Reinhardt.

“A strong, black coffee for my love,” she smiled lovingly at Reinhardt as she sat the mug of coffee in front of him. “And tea for myself. Are you girls going to get something?” Ana gently lowered herself into the chair beside Reinhardt and looked between the two intently.

“Get me a tea, yeah?” Lena asked, batting her eyes at Fareeha, who was still standing. Fareeha nodded and excused herself, making her way to the counter. She scanned the menu, unsure what to get. Coffee, tea, and about 10 different variations of frappuccinos, cappuccinos, and other sweetened drinks, both hot and iced, littered the menu. It was as if she was reading another language. Fareeha was still looking at the menu descriptions when she recognized voice of the barista who had her back turned, finishing an order.

“Hi! What can I get—”, the young girl started as she turned to the counter. When she saw Fareeha, she screamed and bounded around the counter in a blur, jumping into Fareeha’s arms. The girl in her arms was Hana Song. She and Fareeha had met nearly a year ago. Fareeha was in town for her mother’s retirement party and, as a favor, she sat in the Army booth at the local high school’s job fair. Over 130 students signed their name to the mailing list for those who were interested in joining the Army after high school, but Fareeha only remembered Hana. She was shy, awkward, and asking all the right questions for the wrong reasons.

Hana spoke about the military as a way to escape her home situation— living in foster care with two other kids. The military would allow her to leave foster care and go to college. Many high school kids enlisted for these same reasons, but to Fareeha, Hana was different. She decided that she would do whatever it took to stop the teenager from enlisting. They talked for over an hour at the Army booth, mostly about Fareeha’s tours and experiences, which Hana found equally fascinating and scary. Before Hana left, Fareeha scribbled her phone number on small piece of paper, handing it to the girl. She asked her to text or call her personally if she had any more questions. And if, when she turned 18, Hana still wanted to enlist, Fareeha would support her and go with her so she wasn’t alone.

And Hana did text her. At first it was recruitment questions, which turned into doubts about enlisting. Fareeha opened up about what the military was like for her, purposefully not talking about her botched mission, and asked Hana about her life, how she was doing. Over time, they began texting each other more frequently. Hana talked about school, her foster parents, and gush about dates and her relationship status; Fareeha spoke about life in the city, work, and expertly dodge any questions about her love life (Hana’s favorite topic).

“When did you get here!  _ Why _ are you here!” Before she could get an answer, Hana saw her manager looking at her with raised eyebrows, pointing to his watch, indicating that she needed to get back to work. She pulled in for a second quick embrace, before finally pulling away and apologizing and skipping back around the counter.

“What can I get you? Your mom was just up here getting tea!”. Ana had met Hana once or twice, but Fareeha had talked about her often. How she was concerned for the girl and how she wanted to help her. 

“I’m not sure what I want,” Fareeha laughed. Spending the last 10 years, deployed or on base, she wasn’t really able to experiment with her tastes for coffee. She always drank a strong black coffee to wake her, or keep her awake during long shifts of patrolling. But today was different. Now that she was home for good, she wanted to expand her horizons and try new things. 

“I usually just get coffee, but how about you make me your favorite drink instead. If it’s very sweet, just give me a small. Oh, and a cup of English tea.” The teen nodded excitedly, grabbing the small cup from the stack in front of her.

“Alright! So what are you doing back?” Hana asked, as she whipped a marker from her front apron pocket and stuck it in her mouth, removing the lid with her teeth. She wrote ‘Mom’— Hana’s term of endearment for Fareeha— on a small cup, resealed her marker, and put it in her pocket, all while looking up at the taller woman, waiting for an answer.

“Well, I’m here to stay. A friend— you remember Lena?— well, she and her wife bought a house and I’m staying with them until I find something else. I wanted to surprise you. I didn’t know you worked here,” Fareeha confessed. “We’ve only been here for a few days, but it’s just been getting our house ready and job searching, to be honest. Boring stuff.” She watched Hana begin to add ingredients to a blender, before whipping around, her eyes open wide and hands now covering her mouth to quieten her excited squeals.

“Serious? Are you serious?”

“Yes!” Fareeha grinned at the girl’s enthusiasm. She was bouncing on her heels, suppressing a flurry of giggles with shaking hands. They laughed together, both excited at the thought of living closer together. “So, what’s new! We need to catch up”.

“I’m so pumped we can actually spend time together now! But nothing is new really. Today I work until 7:30, but I have a ton of homework and I have to go to the library to do it, since my foster mom ‘accidentally’ broke my laptop,” she raised her fingers to make air quotes with a scowl. Fareeha’s face changed to one of concern. She knew that Hana’s foster parents were borderline abusive, but they seemed to cover it very well. Fareeha didn’t like them— plain and simple. The stories that Hana told only increased her concern for the young girl.

In a few weeks, Hana would turn eighteen and her foster parents’ paychecks will come to an end. In the time they’ve known each other, Hana has told Fareeha, on more than one occasion, that her foster parents were threatening to kick her out when she turns of age. The threats were baseless. Hana was a straight-A student; she was involved in after school activities, which included a gaming club, and track and field, and now Hana had a job to help support herself. She was an all-around good kid. She shouldn’t be punished for that. Even worse, Fareeha was doubtful that Hana ever saw any of the money that they received from the government, aside from what was used to feed her.

“Is that why you got this job? When did this happen?” Fareeha tensed, a million thoughts racing through her head. She desperately wanted to help Hana. Despite only knowing her for a relatively short time, and the obvious age gap, Fareeha thought of Hana as a friend and cared for her as if she was her own blood. Once, only a few months ago, Fareeha had been slightly intoxicated while texting Hana and made the mistake of conveying those feelings. Knowing she was drinking, Hana jumped at the opportunity to poke fun. This was the birth of Hana calling her ‘Mom’ any time she gets the chance.

“It happened a few weeks ago. But yeah, I got this job because I need a new laptop for college.” Hana put the finishing touches on her masterpiece, holding up the small cup with a smile, marveling at her handiwork. The clear plastic cup showed a chocolate colored liquid, overflowing with whipped cream and what looked like bits of graham crackers on top, drizzled with chocolate syrup.  _ Diabetes in a cup _ .

Fareeha took the cup in her hands, reluctant to taste it. At Hana’s nod, she took a small sip of the iced drink. It was surprisingly good, albeit quite sweet. The cool liquid lingered on her tongue. A burst of chocolate and cream flavor exploded on her taste buds. She took another sip, Hana’s eyes trained on her, biting down on chunks of chocolate nibs and graham crackers combining with the chocolate iced mixture. A smile spread across Fareeha’s face.

“Wow. This is so sweet. But it’s really good,” Fareeha said before grabbing the wallet from her back pocket. She dug out a twenty dollar bill and put it on the counter between her and Lena’s cups. “Keep the change, and listen, text me when you’re free, okay?”. Fareeha smiled at the enthusiastic nod from Hana and with two cups in hand, she made her way back to the table.

On her way to their table, she smiled at the three before her. Ana and Reinhardt were talking animatedly, while Lena listened intently, leaning forward with her elbows on the table. Judging by Lena's interest, they were probably exchanging war stories. Lena had a very short attention span and Reinhardt's grandiose retellings of his military tours were one of the few things that kept her interested. Upon Fareeha’s return, the group straightened in their seats and welcomed her back. They sat now, sipping at their drinks, talking mostly about the progress they had made in unpacking.

Three days had passed since Fareeha had ‘bruised her ass bone’, as Lena liked to call it. A snow storm hit the night before, covering the the ground in nearly ten inches of snow. The locals were used to this type of weather, but Fareeha, Lena and Emily were shocked. Lena and Fareeha spent the better portion of the morning shoveling the snow in the driveway and sidewalk, breaking only to have a snowball fight (which Fareeha won). When they came back inside, frozen and heaving from wrestling in the snow, they were greeted with hot cocoa from Emily, who excitedly told them that she unpacked the last box while they were outside.

During the rest of the afternoon, Emily decorated the empty walls of the house with photos and artwork they had accumulated over the years while Lena spent most of the day doing laundry, cleaning, and attempting to help Fareeha assemble furniture. Inevitably, she was shooed away for ‘being in the way’ and ‘ruining her system’. Only several items were left to assemble— a bookcase for the corner of the office, a console for the entryway, and a small shelving unit for the living room, which would hold Lena and Emily’s movie collection and knickknacks as decoration.

When Ana called to ask if they wanted to meet for coffee, Lena politely declined for Emily, seeing that she was in the middle of a cleaning frenzy, but accepted the offer for herself and Fareeha, knowing that her friend had a case of cabin fever. Fareeha needed to get out of the house whether or not she would admit it. She dragged Fareeha away from finishing their new bookcase, begging her to drive her to the coffee shop.

“Surprisingly, the roads were as not bad as I anticipated. A little bit of slush, but my SUV can handle it,” Fareeha said. A little over a year ago, Fareeha was in the market for a new car and Lena spent months trying to convince her to buy a sedan, rather than the SUV she wanted. “Lena, remember when you said I’d never need to use an SUV? And in the span of several days it helped us move and also drive through snowy weather?”

“Yeah, yeah. We didn’t know we were moving though. So I stand by my argument!”, Lena smirked at Fareeha rolling her eyes.

“Oh, Fareeha, speaking of cars— I forgot to tell you,” Ana began as she pushed her empty cup to the center of the table. “I was talking to Uncle Torbjörn the other day. I know you know about cars… perhaps you could talk to him about taking a job at his shop. It would be good for you, and he needs the help.”

“Doesn’t he have, like, a trillion kids to help him around the shop?”, Fareeha said, laughing at the thought of the Lindholm’s most recent Christmas card.

“Yes, but most of them have moved out of the house and grown up— got married, had kids. Something I am most jealous of. Anyways, his youngest is the only one that lives at home. She helps sometimes, but she also works and takes some courses at the community college, so she’s pretty busy”.

“Sure, I’ll stop by to talk to him about it next week,” Fareeha said, deliberately ignoring her mother's comment about marrying and having children. Ana looked wistfully at her empty cup; Reinhardt saw this and excused himself from the table to get a refill for her, kissing her on the head as he left. 

“So, dear,” Ana paused and Fareeha knew what was coming by the tone of her voice. Lena, usually as perceptive as a goldfish, also sensed the sudden change and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “You know I hate to ask. But how are you doing? I just worry.”

“What? Mom, I’m doing fine,” Fareeha’s eyes frantically skimmed the cafe, as she placed a hand on her metal knee out of habit. “I don’t want to talk about it; especially not here”.

“Honey, we only want to help,” Ana placed a hand on Lena’s shoulder; her eyes widened at the sudden contact. Despite knowing she’d been dragged into this conversation, Lena vowed to herself that she would keep quiet. Both women were fierce and calm at the same time, which only made things more frightening. Growing up in the Oxton household, they yelled at each other until they came to a resolution. Ana and Fareeha made intense eye contact and thought very carefully before they spoke. It was like watching a chess match. A very scary chess match. “We care, but we don’t know how to help if you won’t talk with us about it”.

“What do you want me to say? It’s still a struggle and talking about it doesn’t change the facts. I knew this was part of the job. I’m lucky to be alive,” she recited, mechanical and hollow, as she has said those same words thousands of times over the past three years.

“How have you been sleeping?” Ana asked. “Does the new medication help with the panic attacks and dreams?” Ana glanced up from her tea to see Fareeha’s reaction to the question. Pensive. Contemplating her words before she said them. Fareeha had always been this way— ensuring that she says the right words at the right time.

“My meds were finally transferred to the pharmacy yesterday. I just have to pick them up. Besides, I’m having less panic attacks and the nightmares are getting better,” Fareeha lied, not breaking eye contact with her mother. This was the game they played. Ana would ask questions that she knew the answer to and Fareeha would lie. Ana would knowingly accept her answer, but not before making it known that she knew Fareeha was lying. They had been doing this with each other since her teenage years.

“You know, Lena and I talk, right? She tells me a different story,” Ana said, letting Fareeha know she can see through her daughter’s façade. Fareeha breaks the eye contact to look at Lena shrinking deeper into her seat before crossing her arms and looking out the window at the passing cars, smoke visible from the exhaust pipes in the cold weather.

“Well, whether I have nightmares is neither her business nor your own, now is it,” she responded, emboldened, still looking out the windows, as to not see the her mother’s reaction to her aggressive rebuttal. Lena’s silent prayers were answered when Reinhardt returned with four muffins on a plate and tea for Ana. He placed it on the table as he sat down, looking between the women, noting the tension.

“Am I interrupting something?”, he asked, trying to break the ice. “I brought muffins back. Chocolate Banana. They’re delightful!” he said, invoking a small smile from Fareeha, knowing it was her favorite. Her eyes flicked from snow outside to the muffins that now sat on the table. Ana pushed the plate towards Fareeha as a peace offering, which she gladly accepted.

“So, how are you adjusting to living here?” Ana asked, deciding not to press the issue further by changing the subject. One day, Fareeha will want to talk, and when that day comes, she will be a listening ear. However, at this point, Fareeha still harbors resentment and anger. For no one but herself, it seems. She blames herself, for the loss of life and limbs that day. Ana took a bite of the muffin, covering her mouth and smiling at Reinhardt. “This muffin is delicious. Thank you for getting me one”.

“Well, I still hate the cold. It hurts my leg sometimes. But otherwise, I love the house and the town seems pretty nice,” she said through the muffin in her mouth, nodding at Reinhardt holding the muffin up in agreement with her mother. The muffins were truly amazing. “I would like to explore the town a little more some time this week”.

“Well, I have a prescription that I need picked up. Why don’t you pick it up for me at the pharmacy, so you can get yours as well. You can walk there from here and explore a little today?”, Ana told Fareeha more than asked. “You remember where the pharmacy is?”

“Yes, I remember. I can do that,” she said, looking down at the empty plate before her. She picked up her frozen drink and washed down the dryness that remained from the muffin.

Just under an hour had passed before they all said their goodbyes. Fareeha and Lena bundled back up into their snow gear, preparing to walk to the pharmacy. While the coffee shop was on the corner, the pharmacy was just down the block on the opposite side of the street. Thankfully, Fareeha unknowingly parked between the two stores. 

They opened the doors of the cafe, assaulted by the freezing air, and turned, making their way along the snowy sidewalks toward the end of the block. The cold air burnt Fareeha’s lungs as she inhaled, but that was nothing compared to the nervous feeling developing in the pit of her stomach as they made their way closer to the pharmacy. 

It felt like the walk was an eternity, but in truth, it had only taken ten minutes with Lena stopping to look in the windows of each store they passed. Fareeha steeled herself as they approached the double doors that led into the drugstore. _Maybe she won’t be there_ , Fareeha thought to herself, half hoping that she was wrong, just to steal another glance at the beautiful woman that had been in her thoughts for the past three days. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone else get bear hugs growing up? Or was that just me and my weird family?
> 
> Thanks for reading! I have chapter 3 basically written and I may add it before next Thursday! Tune in next week to see Fareeha being hopelessly awkward when she finally meets Angela properly.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the great comments guys! As per usual, I've kept to updating on Thursdays! Hope you enjoy this week's chapter!

When they entered the store, Fareeha’s eyes immediately scanned the pharmacy for Angela, sighing in relief when she was nowhere to be found. She smiled when she saw Brigitte and they walked over to talk to her. The three of them spent nearly a half hour talking before Lena left the drugstore to browse the pawn shop they had passed. Noting the long line forming at the counter in the back of the store, Fareeha excused herself from the small talk and made her way toward the pharmacy. She occupied herself with a mindless game on her phone to pass the time while she waited.

Fareeha had been waiting in line for her mother’s medication for nearly thirty-five minutes and there was still one person in front of her. There was something wrong with the systems, she overheard; something about the snow storm overnight. Two people were behind the counter, including the short woman who helped her a few days ago. The other woman, with tanned skin and dark hair with purple highlights, listened to the customer in front of her with unveiled disinterest.

Fareeha looked at her watch, glancing at the time. 6:42. _Shit. Lena’s definitely done shopping by now._ She sighed and looked around the store again, deciding to text Lena that she was still in line.

“What do you mean the systems are down? I’ve been waiting 25 minutes and you’re just now telling me the systems are down?” Fareeha stopped mid-text, trying to source the angry voice. Her eyes landed on a middle-aged man yelling at the flustered woman behind the counter— the woman who helped her a few days ago. Her face was red, glancing at the onlookers in the line, where Fareeha stood, her embarrassment growing.

“I-I’m so sorry, sir. The snow storm knocked out the internet and we’re still trying to recover,” the short girl explained. “The internet went out and we must do everything by hand now. I will fill your prescription as soon as possible. I just have to find your paper prescription and fill it manually.” She was rifling frantically through papers, eyes quickly skimming the names atop the papers, presumably searching for this man’s name. “So sorry. Sorry,” she kept repeating, getting more flustered by the minute.

“This is ridiculous. Can I get someone a little more competent over here,” he yelled to anyone listening to him, slamming both of his palms on the counter, startling the small woman. Her eyes, watering with humiliation, glanced around as more people looked their way. “This bitch doesn’t know what she’s doing.”

 _Okay. That’s enough_ , Fareeha thought, taking several steps forward to insert herself into the situation. Getting a closer look at the man, she saw his face in full as he turned towards her, anger boiling. He was definitely in his late 40’s, balding with the remaining hair he had combed over his gaping bald spot. His dark eyes were angry with bags under them. He had chapped lips with a crack down the middle, scabbed over. His brows furrowed as he saw Fareeha inspecting him.

“Is everything okay here?”

“Do you mind?” he barked at her, hands balled in fists aggressively at his sides.

“Yes, sir. I do mind,” Fareeha said politely, putting her hand on the counter, near the spot the man’s fists previously occupied. “There is no need for you to yell. She’s doing the best that she can under the circumstances.”

“Why don’t you mind your own damn business and wait your turn?” he growled at Fareeha and shoved her with both hands, causing her to stumble back a few steps. Fareeha remained calm, regaining balance and smiled at him, which seemed to only make the man more angry.

“Sir, you’re being belligerent and rude and it’s only making matters worse”. Fareeha, turned and squinted at the short girl’s name tag and gestured to her, still smiling- “Mei, here, is trying to help you as best as she can with the internet being out right now.” She smiled back at Mei, who was still trying to cover her embarrassment. The small smile that Mei was forcing as she and Fareeha made eye contact quickly morphed into horror as she opened her mouth, unable to speak.

Fareeha looked back at the man in time to see his fist mid-swing. Before she could react, she felt the fist connecting with her nose, her head jerking to the side and the familiar sharp stinging sensation between her eyes. This was not the first time she had taken a punch. She blinked her eyes to rid herself from the blur the punch had caused, snapping her face forward and stumbling back for a moment.

“I told you to mind your own fucking business!” The man was now screaming, which did not help the ache that now spread like wildfire behind Fareeha’s nose and eyes, radiating up into her forehead. She took a deep breath, tasting copper, and reached up to feel the wetness that was now sliding down her face. It was surreal. Her first real experience with this town was being punched in the face by a weaselly little man, who, upon further inspection, looked as if he had been drinking.

Fareeha looked back at Mei, whose face was still frozen in horror. Her eyes flitted from Mei to the man, now gritting his teeth and snarling, standing in a fighting position. Looking around the room, she saw nearly everyone looking at them, shocked and stilled. The sound of his fist connecting with the side of Fareeha’s face was loud enough to pull everyone from their own personal business. Even those at the front of the store stopped to watch the commotion. Her eyes met with Brigitte’s, eyebrows raised in surprise.

“You get one free punch, sir. I don’t recommend you trying for a second,” Fareeha said, head down, focus now returning to the disgruntled man before her. She kept her tone as even as possible, but the calmness in which she spoke gave Mei the chills and, if possible, her eyes grew wider and she cowered behind the counter.

The man laughed arrogantly at Fareeha. She hadn’t moved; she didn’t need to. He took a step forward and swung again. His smile faded when he realized that Fareeha had skillfully dodged his fist. She grabbed his wrist and used the man’s own momentum from the punch to pull him forward causing him to lose balance, leaving him vulnerable. Fareeha took a step, still holding on to the man’s wrist, creating the space she needed between them to twist his arm behind his back. With her other hand, she grabbed the man’s shoulder, making him unable to move without hurting himself.

“Unless he can leave himself without causing another scene, I am going to escort this man out of the store. Is that okay with you?” Fareeha asked, looking at Mei who was still in a state of shock. She nodded her head, coming back to her senses. It all had happened so quickly that Mei was still dumbfounded at the man squirming in Fareeha’s arms.

“Get your hands off of me! Let me go! I can leave by myself,” he yelled, struggling to free himself from Fareeha’s grasp, defeated and shamed, as the tables had turned. Fareeha let him go and gave him a light shove, causing him to stumble forward. When he regained balance, he angrily grabbed his wallet while rubbing his sore shoulder, turned in a huff and started towards the exit.

“Have a nice day, sir,” Fareeha called out as the man stomped towards the front. He threw up his middle finger up as a response before he left. Once he was out of sight, Fareeha turned to Mei to see her smiling gratefully, face still red. “Seemed like such a nice guy,” Fareeha joked, evoking a faint giggle from Mei.

“Thank you so much. He was being really rude and it just made me more nervous,” Mei said shyly, straightening her shirt and organizing the documents that she had scattered about in her attempt to find the angry man’s prescription. Fareeha could tell she was still upset about the previous scene and gave her a moment to regain composure. The small woman took a deep breath and sighed. Her smile brightened, more thankful, now that Fareeha gave her time to collect herself.

“It’s okay. No worries. It’s out of your control, you shouldn’t have to deal with assholes like that,” Fareeha smiled, putting a hand into her pocket, the other unconsciously touching her nose.

“Oh, no! Your nose is still bleeding. Hold on. One of our pharmacists actually went to medical school too! She can look at it!”

“Wait, really, it’s okay,” Fareeha tried calling after her, but Mei was already behind a door in the back before she could be stopped. Now waiting awkwardly in line, causing more of a hold up, she pulled her phone out of her pocket, and pressed the button on the side to wake her phone. Two missed messages from Lena. _She’s going to be so pissed_.

_**LENA OXTON (6:46 pm):** Done. Where u at?_

_**LENA OXTON (6:54 pm):** Where ru? Whts taking so fn long?_

_**FAREEHA AMARI (6:57 pm):** I’m still at the pharmacy. Long story. Come meet me here._

Fareeha sighed, annoyed at the past situation, now holding the sleeve of her hoodie to her nose to help the bleeding subside. People like that man really got under her skin. No one should treat another person that way, no matter how frustrated they are. Fareeha shook her head, _Asshole_. Fareeha felt the slight buzzing of her phone and saw Lena’s text.

_**LENA OXTON (6:57 pm):** Still???  >:( be there soon._

“She’s over here”. Fareeha looked up to see Mei pulling a taller woman behind her. Fareeha began to tell them that she was fine, but when she saw the woman behind Mei the words died in her throat. “Mei, I’ll take care of this. Your shift ended a half hour ago and look, Aleks is here”.

“Are you sure, Angie? I don’t mind helping these customers while you look at her nose,” Mei said as she pointed to Fareeha, who just realized they were talking about her.

The gorgeous blonde pharmacist, who had been occupying her thoughts for three days, was now standing in front of her. Their eyes met for a split second before Fareeha broke the eye contact to look literally anywhere else, suddenly interested in a speck on the counter. “It’s not a big deal. Really,” Fareeha said, finally able to speak. “It doesn’t hurt that bad.” A lopsided grin plastered on her face.

“Yes, Mei, I’m sure. You’re the best. Thank you for coming in today; you helped us out a lot,” she said with a smile, looking up to see Fareeha who was still looking at the speck on the counter, listening to their conversation. “Oh, and if you want a half day tomorrow, sleep in. I’ll take the morning half of your shift as thanks for saving us today. The internet should hopefully be back up by then,” Angela called to her as she was leaving. Mei turned, beaming, as she thanked both women and left.

“Now, let’s see your nose. I just want to make sure it’s not broken.” Angela smiled as she put gloves on her hands. She reached across the counter and grabbed Fareeha’s hand, coaxing it and her bloody sleeve away from her nose.

Fareeha could feel the heat warming her face, hoping Angela would think it was just from being punched, and not a side effect of the cold hands which were now planted on either side of Fareeha’s face. Her eyes widened and she nervously looked around, careful not to make eye contact with the woman in front of her. She felt Angela turn her head, side to side to examine her nose.

“Well doc,” Fareeha said, gaining a minute amount of confidence, “Give it to me straight. Am I gonna live?” Angela smirked and continued to look at her nose. She took her thumbs and lightly touched Fareeha’s nose, causing her to recoil and hiss in pain and her eyes to water slightly. Angela laughed and took a step back, leaving Fareeha’s face cold in the absence.

“Well, it’s bleeding but I don’t think it’s broken, thankfully. If anything unusual happens— bad headaches or nausea— go to the hospital. That’s what you get for being a hero. A bloodied nose and a bloody hoodie,” she smiled, as she backed up, holding her hands awkwardly out in front of her.

“A bloody favorite hoodie,” Fareeha mumbled as she examined blood that was ruining her favorite sweatshirt. When she looked up, she noticed the blood on Angela’s gloved hands and began to sputter out an apology. Angela shushed her, excusing herself to wash her hands before coming back with wet paper towels so Fareeha could wipe the blood off her face.

“Alright. Back to business. What was the name again?” Angela smiled, now holding the pile of documents that was previously in Mei’s hands, reorganizing them in a way she deemed fit.

“Amari. Ana Amari,” Fareeha said, through the paper towel, attempting to regulate the tone of her voice, as she looked up into the beautiful blue eyes before her. Fareeha watched as Angela’s graceful fingers flipped from page to page, searching for the document she needed. Her brows knitted in concentration, shaking her head as she straightened her papers and thumbed through a new pile of papers.

“Hah!” she exclaimed, in victory, startling Fareeha. “You look great for a 60 year-old woman,” Angela grinned, waving a copy of the prescription meant for her mother. Her eyes widened as she looked at the paper in her hands, at a loss for words at the sudden inquiry.

“O-oh, no! Sorry! Um, it’s not for me; it’s for my mother,” she laughed, sheepishly rubbing the back of her neck.

“It’s okay. I’m just kidding. There is also several prescriptions under a F. Amari? Is this you?” Angela asked innocently as she looked at the prescriptions in her hands.

Fareeha laughed awkwardly. “Yes, I almost forgot. I’m Fareeha Amari. I’ll pick up mine as well”.

“Okay. Give me one moment and I’ll get the medications for you,” Angela smiled, turning and walking to a large bin labeled “A” with a large thick marker. Jesus, get a goddamn grip, Fareeha thought to herself as she regained herself, wiping nonexistent lint off of her jacket. She balled up the damp paper towel and threw it into the closest trash can. Regretting wearing so many layers, she pulled at the bloodied hoodie under her jacket. Her body was still not used to the frigid weather outside.

“Oh, Mei. Hi, Aleks. Did you forget something?”, Angela asked, as she turned back, holding the yellow prescription bottle in her hand. Mei shook her head, no, and smiled looking up at the tall woman, who waved at Angela.

Confused, Fareeha looked to her right to see Mei, along with a very large, very muscular woman, nearly half a head taller than herself. She had short pink hair that faded into a buzz cut down her neck and a large scar to the right of her eye. The tall woman was dressed in a pair of gray sweatpants and a blue t-shirt that barely fit her bulging arms. She looked back and smiled at Mei, who had since put on a heavy jacket, pink scarf, and furry winter hat. They smiled, both looking puzzled. _Dammit, they probably said something and I didn’t hear._

“Aleks wanted to thank the woman who stood up for me!” Mei said, shaking her head and looking at Angela. She gestured up to the tall woman that towered next to her. Fareeha looked between the two, and gave a thankful smile back at Aleks. _Yep. They definitely said something to me._

“I just want to thank you for stopping the guy that was harassing my Mei. I’m sorry that he hit you, but I appreciate what you did,” she voiced gratefully with a thick Russian accent. Aleks reached into her wallet to retrieve a small card, handing it over to Fareeha. “I can tell that you like to work on your fitness. Please allow me to give you a few free training sessions as my thanks.”

Fareeha looked down, inspecting the card. “Thank you,” she smiled, tucking it away into the back pocket of her jeans. Thinking for a moment, she turned back to Aleks with a confused face. “How can you tell? That I am interested in fitness. I have, like, 11 layers on,” she laughed, as she put her arms out, as if to model her outfit, showing the many layers she wore.

Aleks smiled and looked her up and down, surveying her body. The others followed her eyes, as if trying to use x-ray vision to see under her winter clothing. Unused to the physical attention, Fareeha’s face reddened and she looked away, shifting awkwardly on her feet. “Am I wrong? I usually have a good sense of these things,” Aleks grinned at the sight of Fareeha’s embarrassment.

“No-” Fareeha began, but before she could finish, Lena appeared at her left side, causing her to jump.

“Ree!” Fareeha grimaced at Lena’s term of endearment. “What the hell is taking so long! Em is gonna be right pissed if she’s gotta miss the beginnin’ of the game,” she said, almost yelling, with her hand on Fareeha’s shoulder, looking at the three others. Her face changed in a split second, now smirking up at Fareeha as she gave her a little pat on the shoulder she held. “What’s this! We’ve been here for less than a week and you’ve already gone and made more friends than me! And what’s with your nose?”. The others smiled as she spoke loudly.

“I’m sorry, Lena. Some guy was being an asshole to the pharmacist. So, I stepped in and he punched me,” lightly touching her nose again, “I’m almost finished. Her friend came to thank me.” Aleks smiled and waved. Lena looked at the tall woman and gasped, her smile getting impossibly bigger.

“Good God! How tall are you! You’ve got to be well over a foot taller than me! Fareeha,” she said looking up, removing her grip and skipping towards Aleks, pointing at her, “she’s the tallest person I’ve ever met, second to Rein! Oh, I bet he’d love to meet her! Arm wrestle city, amirite?” she said quickly amid a flurry of giggles. The untrained ear might have a hard time following Lena, but Fareeha was used to it and just nodded in agreement, shooting an apologetic look towards the others.

As Lena began talking excitedly with Mei and Aleks, Fareeha turned back to Angela, and smiled, rolling her eyes at her shorter friend. She fished out her debit card and handed it to Angela, allowing her to finish the transaction. Fareeha just wanted to leave this terribly awkward situation, ready to relax and watch the hockey game with her friends and some beer. A small line was now forming behind them and Fareeha turned to see Lena grabbing Aleks’ biceps with both hands, her eyes wide in astonishment with an excited grin at the Russian woman’s muscles.

“I’m sorry for her being so obnoxious,” Fareeha whispered, leaning in conspiratorially so that Lena wouldn’t hear. “She often doesn’t realize how loud she is. Or that personal boundaries exist in the physical realm.” Angela giggled as she finished bagging the medications and nodded in agreement, causing a whirlwind of butterflies to unleash in Fareeha’s stomach. In that moment, Fareeha had decided that it was her new mission in life to hear that angelic laughter again. She wrapped her scarf around neck in attempt to hide the rising blush.

“Do you or your mother have any questions about the prescriptions?” she asked, lips still upturned but returning to the task at hand. When Fareeha shook her head, she smiled with a glint of something in her eyes and pushed the plastic bag filled with the prescriptions towards Fareeha. “Well, here you go then. Keep warm out there. Looks like you’re wearing more than enough layers for the both of us!”

Lena jumped into the conversation abruptly, yelling, “I know! It’s as if it’s 20 below zero out there. This one can’t handle the cold,” she joked, while jumping and yanking Fareeha’s snow hat off her head, revealing a red line in the absence of the hat, as well as a mess of hair sticking up in the air in its wake, causing the blush to creep farther up her neck and onto her cheeks.

“Well! What do you expect! I didn’t grow up-” Fareeha started, quickly combing her hair with her fingers to rid herself of hat hair, before Lena interrupted her.

“My name is Fareeha. I grew up in Egypt. What is snow? My body can’t handle the cold. Blah, blah,” she mocked in a falsetto voice, causing the others to roar with laughter. Fareeha huffed at her shorter friend and grinned despite the joke being aimed at her.

“That is not what I sound like,” she mumbled, snatching her hat from Lena’s hands, feigning agitation with crossed arms before looking back towards Angela. “Well, I’m sure you’d like us to be out of your hair now. Since we’ve caused more of a disturbance than the man from before,” Fareeha laughed, putting a hand up to hide a pointing finger at Lena, who gave her a hard shove as she laughed. “It was lovely to meet you all. Aleks, I will definitely take you up on the offer,” she said, pulling the business card out and holding it up. Aleks smiled and nodded at her as she gave her a thumbs up. The two waved as they turned towards the exit of the building, and Fareeha put her snow hat back on, covering her black hair.

Fareeha looked back at the scene they left behind them. The blonde beauty was still chatting animatedly with the two women who still remained. She’s so gorgeous, thought Fareeha, inspecting Angela’s face- her thick golden locks, she imagined running her fingers through; piercing blue eyes she could get lost in for an eternity; and those lips. Angela giggled, silent to Fareeha from the distance between them, as she glanced up, feeling Fareeha’s eyes on her. Panicking as she was caught staring, Fareeha turned too quickly and stumbled forward, tripping over her feet, into Lena who turned and smacked her shoulder, telling her to watch where she was going. Fareeha apologized and snuck one last glance back at Angela before they left. She was still looking at them, now with her hand covering her mouth, laughing. _God, the things that I would do just to hear that laugh again_ , she thought.

Not half way out the door and Lena was already grinning wildly. She jumped in front of Fareeha, grabbing her shoulders and stopping her in her tracks casting her a knowing smile, wide-eyed, waiting for the door to fully close behind them. “You fancy her!” she half-yelled, for the entire block to hear, shaking Fareeha’s shoulders. Fareeha nervously glanced around to see if anyone had heard her friend’s screaming. A couple down the street was looking, but turned and kept walking.

“What?!” she asked, incredulously, knowing that Lena was going to hold this over her head. “So what? She’s pretty. Last I heard, it wasn’t a crime to think someone was attractive,” she said, defending herself, and unconsciously pulling up her scarf to cover her face from the stinging cold breeze that pelted them and to hide the rising blush creeping onto her cheeks again. Lena giggled, and ripped Fareeha’s scarf down farther, revealing her friend’s blushing face. She shrieked loudly and jumped up and down happily dancing around Fareeha.

“I knew it! I knew it!” she sang with a grin, poking Fareeha hard in the side. Fareeha lost her balance and instinctively whipped her arms out, frantically trying to catch her balance preventing herself from falling on a patch of ice for the second time this week. “God, love. You really’ve no poker face! Blushing like a teenage girl, and stumbling ‘round like a fool. Gotta work on that!”

“Let’s just get home,” Fareeha said, eager to change the subject, looking at her watch - 7:21 pm. “We’re already late for the puck drop. Bet Emily is going to be pissed at you,” she smiled at the thought of Lena’s getting an ear full for being late. Emily, like Fareeha, was a hockey fan and she hated missing the beginning of the game.

“Not when she hears about this!” Lena giggled excitedly, as she opened the driver’s side of her car, still humming with glee. “This will certainly make up for it.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, friends. Super sorry I've been MIA for like 7 months. Just been working through some personal stuff and just like a super huge writers block. I actually ended up rewriting this chapter 3 different times. Either way, I have the entire story planned and notecarded out, sometimes it's just hard for me to put the movie that plays in my head into words. Such is life, I suppose. 
> 
> As a note, my beta is a super busy farmer gal (quite literally a farmer), so I'm posting this unbeta'd and when she betas it, I'll end up editing it. So please forgive my terrible grammar and anything else that is wonky. I just wanted to POST this and get it done, considering I'm pretty far through the next chapter, so it should be a quick update for ch 5 (I say that now, lmao)!

It’d been just over a month since Fareeha, Lena, and Emily moved into their cozy little home in the suburbs, but to say that it had been easy would be an understatement. When the trio moved, they had no connections in the area, other than Ana and Reinhardt, and they had no jobs lined up. They had their clothes and personal belongings packed up in a box truck and Fareeha’s SUV. They made their trip as quickly as they could to close on the house before any other buyers could take advantage.

In the weeks since the snowstorm, the new homeowners (and their roommate) finished settling into their home. They were nearly finished painting, and Emily had decorated and furnished almost all of the rooms to her liking. There was still a few things that remained: the garage needed to be cleaned out and reorganized, some small household projects needed finished, and Emily wanted the front yard landscaped to her liking (but that was a project for the coming spring months).

True to her word, Ana called her long-time friend, Torbjörn Lindholm, and asked if he needed help around his shop. She wouldn’t tell Fareeha this, but she explained her daughter’s situation. Torbjörn, himself, dealt with similar difficulties after his time serving in the military, so he could relate to her struggles. Of course, he was more than happy to have an extra hand to help around the auto shop, even if he needed to teach her the ropes.

While Fareeha had no formal training in mechanics, she had learned a few things while she was deployed. And over the course of the past several weeks, Fareeha’s knowledge of cars had increased tenfold. It was a good job. She realized that the auburn-haired girl from the drugstore, Brigitte, was actually her Uncle Torb's daughter. They got along quite well, laughing at the fact that they didn't realize they'd actually met before when Brigitte was a child and Fareeha was in high school. The job, itself, paid more than enough; not that she needed the income. But most importantly, it helped focus on something instead of mill about the house all day, lost in thought.

Truthfully, Fareeha was her own worst enemy. As is such with people who struggle with depression, she often fell into a depressive cycle. One moment she was on top of the world, and the next she struggled to have the drive to get out of bed. Fareeha is a woman of action and sitting around with no place to go and nothing to do reminds her of the days when she couldn’t do anything. Her entire life she dreamed of fighting for her country, just like all of her childhood heroes— her mother, Reinhardt, and all of their friends— only to have it traumatically ripped from her in one day.

In the time since getting a job, she became less depressed. She was focused on so many other things, which meant there was less opportunities to get lost in an emotional quagmire. When she wasn’t at work, she was focused on Emily’s honey-do list (as Lena fondly called it). Most recently, this included re-tiling the floors in both upstairs bathrooms, getting rid of the hideous teal the previous owners left, replacing it with a more modern white. Fareeha loved to work with her hands, so this was a perfect task for her to keep her mind off dark and looming thoughts.

Any other spare time was spent with her mother and Reinhardt, or more often than not, hanging out with Hana. Her eighteenth birthday was rapidly approaching, being only a little over a week away. Knowing her foster parent’s weren’t going to celebrate, Fareeha decided to throw her a birthday party at Ana’s house. It was important to Fareeha that Hana knew there were people who cared about her. When Fareeha brought up the idea of having a birthday party, she wasn’t quite expecting Hana to react the way she did.

Hana nearly jumped into her arms squealing in excitement. She asked a million rapidfire questions. Where would they hold it? Could she invite her school friends? What kind of cake would they have? Could she help decorate it? Fareeha laughed and said it was all up to her. So here she was, at the grocery store pondering the differences between salted and unsalted butter.

The sound of Hana clearing her throat brought her out of her thoughts about dairy products. She looked at Hana, who was sitting, lotus style, in the grocery cart, game in hand and cake supplies surrounding her. She wasn’t looking at Fareeha, but past her. Fareeha furrowed her brows and followed her gaze, turning her head to see what she was looking at.

Blue eyes.

“Oh,” Fareeha said dumbly, before shaking her head, realizing that the owner of the blue eyes must have said something to her. “Oh. Sorry. I’m, um,” Fareeha laughed and pointed to her right ear. “I’m deaf in this ear”.

Angela’s blue eyes went round and she bit her lip in embarrassment. She raised a hand to her face, attempting to cover the rising blush. “Oh, god. I am so sorry. I had no idea,” she muttered, her hand moving to her cheek. “I am absolutely mortified”.

“How could you have known? Don’t worry about it” Fareeha laughed again, placing one box of butter back on the shelf and tossing the other into the cart.

“Hey! Watch it!” Hana yelled when the heavy block of butter hit her in the chest.

“That’s what you get,” Fareeha said as she tucked Emily’s grocery list into her pocket and looked at the young girl, currently pouting and playing her handheld game. “Aren’t you turning 18, not 8?” 

Fareeha turned back to the blonde to see her shaking her head at herself, still embarrassed. 

“Really, don’t worry about it. It deaf-initely happens more often than you would think.”

A big grin made its way onto Fareeha’s face and she cocked her head as she laughed at her own pun. Her lighthearted attitude and goofy grin relieved Angela of any further awkwardness and she giggled as she looked up at the tanned woman.

Hana groaned, cringing at what she believed to be a terrible and awkward attempt at flirting. She looked between the two women in mild disgust before turning her head back to her game. Though she wouldn’t admit it, she smiled to herself at the idea of Fareeha putting herself out there. She truly cared for the older woman, and she didn’t understand why such a beautiful woman was seemingly content with being single.

“So, what are you guys doing? Hi, Hana,” Angela said, waving to the young woman sitting in the cart. “It’s a small world. How do you guys know each other?”

Hana quickly closed her game, eyes wide and a smile on her face. She spoke before Fareeha could, excitedly telling the story about how she and Fareeha met, sparing no detail. Angela smiled and looked at the older woman as Hana continued her story. Fareeha looked at Hana with nothing but love and pride in her eyes as she listened to the young girl speak about their friendship.

“ _Habibti_ , where are your manners?” Fareeha nearly jumped out of her skin, feeling a finger poke her in the side. She turned to see a devilish grin on her mother’s face. “Are you not going to introduce me to your pretty friend?”

This was quite possibly Fareeha’s biggest fear. Her mother had always been nosy when it came to her love life, more so now as she was nearing thirty. In the weeks since she moved closer to her mother, Fareeha heard Ana drop an infinite more amount of hints, whether it be about a ‘cute girl at the bank’ or asking when she’d ‘finally settle down and give me some grandbabies, already’.

“Ah, Mom, this is Angela. She works at the pharmacy in town. Angela, this is my mother, Ana.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ana,” Angela smiled and shook Ana’s hand. 

“You as well. So, how is it that you know my daughter? She only just moved here recently, you know,” Ana gestured toward Fareeha and her grin widened when she saw her daughter’s sudden awkwardness, fidgeting with the grocery list in her hands. It only confirmed her suspicion that Fareeha was interested in this woman, or at the very least, found her attractive.

Fareeha has always worn her emotions on her sleeve, whether she realized it or not. Since Fareeha’s teenage years, Ana grew accustomed to reading Fareeha’s signs. She fidgeted and laughed uncharacteristically loud. She shifted uncomfortably from side to side and an unconcealable blush bloomed across her cheeks as she looked anywhere but the woman who she was interested in. Much to her chagrin, Fareeha was an open book. Even Reinhardt could tell when she was interested in someone.

As predicted, since Ana’s arrival, Fareeha’s awkwardness began to reveal itself. She shuffled in front of her cart, looking at everyone else but Angela. One of her hands fiddled with the paper in her pocket, the other nervously rubbed the side of her neck. She almost jumped, her face reddening even more, at the sound of Angela’s laugh.

“Oh! It’s an interesting story actually,” Angela said with a laugh, moving her cart to allow other customers to pass them. “After that nasty storm last month, she was in the pharmacy when a man was harassing one of the pharmacists. She stepped in to stop him and the man actually hit her! From what I heard, it was a cheap shot,” she smiled up at Fareeha, who momentarily stopped looking bashful, grinned and puffed out her chest at the near praise.

“How courageous of you, Fareeha,” Ana said with a smirk, reaching up to pinch her daughter’s cheek. “So valiant.”

Fareeha almost visibly deflated at her mother’s antics. She groaned and put on a fake smile, rubbing her cheek when her mother let go. She shot her mother a look of despair, only to be met with a nonchalant shrug. Ana picked up the salted butter Fareeha had thrown in the cart, and exchanged it with the unsalted butter on the shelf.

“Is that why your favorite hoodie was all bloody?” Hana chimed in, from her throne in the cart. Fareeha nodded silently.

“Well, the man tried to take another swing at her,” Angela continued. “But she dodged it and forced him to leave the store. Mei, the woman who the man was harassing, came and told me a customer had gotten hit, so I came rushing out. I made sure she didn’t have a broken nose, and I ended up filling her prescriptions for her.”

“Well, isn’t that quite the story,” Ana laughed. “And it explains the swollen nose and why you were so grumpy when you stopped by with my medications.”

“I wasn’t grumpy,” Fareeha countered. “We were just in a rush to go watch the hockey game.”

“You were grumpy,” Ana said with a laugh, before turning to Angela. “Would you like to walk with us, we are almost finished shopping for cake ingredients.”

“Fareeha and Ana are throwing me a party for my 18th birthday this weekend. If you’re not working, you should stop by for some cake! I’d like that,” Hana said with an all too innocent smile, before adding in a stage whisper, “and I think Fareeha would, too!”

Fareeha and Angela seized up in awkwardness at the last comment and the other two women laughed quietly in amusement. Fareeha laughed loudly, eyes wide giving Hana a death glare. Despite her embarrassment, she bashfully glanced at the blonde. Angela’s cheeks were several shades darker than usual, and she laughed into her hand as she suddenly became interested in the contents of her cart. Hana’s smile turned into a full blown grin at the scene before her as she waited expectantly for an answer from the blonde woman. Angela fumbled on her words, saying she’d have to check her schedule and that she hoped she could come.

Angela quickly accepted Ana's offer to walk together and they slowly resumed their shopping, falling into comfortable conversation as they walked. Angela talked about her degrees— “Yes, two PhD’s. One in Pharmacology and the other in Biochemistry”. She was met with amazement from the three other women. Hana and Ana complemented her academic successes, while Fareeha just smiled at her in awe.

Angela returned the astonishment when she found out that Ana was one of the best snipers the army had ever had, and that Fareeha was one of the youngest in her family to reach the rank of Captain, even younger than Ana and Reinhardt. She asked when they both retired from service, a topic which she thankfully dropped after seeing Fareeha’s discomfort and Ana’s concern as she glanced toward her daughter.

“So, Angela, where did you grow up? Or have you lived here your whole life?” Ana said, quickly changing the subject. They had long since finished shopping for the cake ingredients but followed Angela as she finished her personal grocery shopping.

“Well,” Angela smiled. “I was born in Switzerland, but I moved to the States when I was very young— around 9 years old. I grew up outside of Boston. I lived there until a few years ago.” Ana hummed with interest and the two other women listened intently.

“What made you move to our small, lovely town?” Ana asked as they made their way through the last few aisles, grabbing a loaf of bread off the shelf, suddenly remembering Reinhardt had mentioned being out of sandwich supplies.

“Well,” Angela let out a harsh laugh, gripping the cart tighter. “I was in a long term relationship, and we grew apart. I worked long hours, finishing school and working full time. I guess she didn't really like being apart that much. And, you know,” Angela paused and smiled bitterly, “she cheated on me.”

“All of my friends were her friends. The apartment we shared didn’t feel like home after she left. None of it felt like home.” Angela gave a small smile before looking down at her hands, peeling at the chipped paint on her nails. She steeled herself and smiled with a renewed sense of vigor. “But, you know, that was a long time ago. I moved here, and moved on. I’m happy here!”

“Oh, dear. I am so sorry,” Ana whispered. She covered Angela’s hand with her own, comforting her. “There is never any reason to cheat on someone. That happened to Fareeha, too. Broke her heart,” Ana looked at Fareeha, who froze at the mention of her ex. She clenched her jaw and forced a smile, looking down.

“When Fareeha was in the hospital— in a coma— she only came once. The day she woke up, she came by, saying she moved her stuff out of their apartment and she couldn’t ‘handle’ being in a relationship with her anymore. She was hardly conscious and her girlfriend was abandoning her.”

Ana grimaced at the memory. She remembered how broken her daughter was. Broken physically and emotionally. And the woman she had been dating for over two years— the woman she had devoted herself to— abandoned her in her greatest time of need. Fareeha hasn’t dated since. Despite joking about her desire for grandkids, Ana really only wanted to see her daughter happy again. 

“How about we change the topic to something less dismal. It’s in the past, let’s not dwell,” Fareeha said hotly. She looked up at Angela, who mouthed a ‘sorry’ for inadvertently bringing up a sore subject, and instantly felt her anger being quelled .

Ana seemed to realize her mistake in bringing up Fareeha's past, and shifted the conversation, telling the others about how she and Reinhardt met. She smiled as Angela and Hana listened with starry eyes. Angela had to stifle a giggle when she caught Fareeha mocking her mother. Thankful that Fareeha’s mood hadn’t completely soured, Ana gave the taller woman a light smack on the shoulder. She gained her revenge telling light-hearted stories about Fareeha when she was a rambunctious child.

When the group arrived at the check lanes, Angela motioned for the others to go ahead of her, seeing they had less items in their cart. They talked while they stood in line, Ana forcing Hana to get out of the cart and ‘act her age’. Her smile belied her scolding attitude. After climbing out of the cart, Hana sidled up to Angela, who smiled down at her as she unloaded her own grocery items onto the belt, behind the divider.

They smiled at the as they watched Fareeha and her mother, standing near the register, arguing quietly in Arabic. Unable to understand their words and judging solely based on body language, Angela assumed they were arguing about who was paying for the groceries. Fareeha was almost comically towering over her mother, holding a debit card in her hand out of reach as her mother tried to reach for it, a scowl adorned her face as Fareeha laughed and continued to speak with a teasing tone. 

It was mesmerizing to Angela, really. Being fluent in many languages has its perks, but one language she never needed to learn was Arabic, and now, she seemed to have a reason to learn it. She smiled at the family, feeling a warmth in her chest that she hadn’t felt in a long time. It’d been so long since she had a friend outside of her work friends (not that she valued her colleagues any less), let alone actually allowed herself to act impulsively on someone she found attractive. She was walking through the grocery store, looking over the list she had on her phone when she just happened to catch the glint of golden beads.

After meeting Fareeha for the first time, Angela was wondering when she’d see her again. She was intrigued by the taller woman. She was new to the town, so she justified her desire to see more of the admittedly attractive woman as merely the need to be a friendly face and welcome her to the town. When she saw Fareeha in the grocery store, she wasn’t going to say anything. Then she saw Hana sitting in the cart and suddenly, without thinking, she turned from her projected path, and found herself greeting the two before she could stop herself. 

“Hey, Hana! Get over here and help load up the cart.” She was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard Fareeha’s voice.

“Yes, _mom_ ,” the younger girl grumbled, almost dragging her feet as she went to help Ana load up the cart. Angela held back a laugh at the girl’s antics. Looking back at her own cart, she realized that it was still mostly full, and began unloading her groceries again. 

“Do you need help?” Fareeha said, looking at Angela with a shy smile before pointing over her shoulder and continuing. “My mom is just finishing up, I figured I’d give you a hand? That is, um, if you need it?”

“Of course. Thank you,” Angela said with a laugh. “I see you lost the argument on who was to pay for the groceries?”

Fareeha’s eyes lit up at the sound, her shy smile growing even wider, now reaching her eyes. She laughed and nodded, “Yes, my mother usually gets her way with these sorts of things.”

“By the way, I’m sorry your mom brought up your ex. I wouldn’t have mentioned anything if I had known,” Angela said, finally alone with Fareeha to apologize. Fareeha shook her head and laughed, accepting her apology.

“It’s no problem, really. It’s in the past. It’s easier to keep it there,” Fareeha said with confidence. The two let that be the end of the conversation and they went back to loading the remaining groceries onto the belt in silence.

“Fareeha, dear, Hana said she invited Angela to the party this weekend. Why don’t you exchange numbers so you can give her all the information,” Ana said with an innocent smile. She knew what she was doing. Her daughter, stubborn as she was, would never work up the courage to exchange numbers with the woman she was pining after.

“Yes, mother,” Fareeha responded, with a nod, as she pulled her cellphone out of her pocket. With a slight, surprised ‘oh’, Angela grabbed her purse and rummaged through it, looking for her phone. Once she found it, they exchanged numbers and added each other as a contact.

“Oh, can you let Brigitte know about this weekend. They’ve been talking a little and I think Hana’s too shy to invite her.”

“That’s cute. Brigitte mentioned a ‘cute girl’, but I didn’t realize she had been talking to Hana. Of course I’ll bring her,” Angela said. The grocer was nearly finished with her items, bagging them and allowing the two women to put them back in her cart. The two lingered in silence for a moment before Angela had to finish her transaction.

“Well, it was really good seeing you today,” Fareeha said, with a gentle smile. “I hope to see you this weekend.”

“I’ll definitely make sure I’m there. I’m almost positive I don’t work,” Angela said, looking up at Fareeha. Angela smirked and leaned in for a small hug before Fareeha left. They awkwardly met in the middle and pulled away quickly, laughing for no reason. Angela looked away quickly and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and Fareeha covered her mouth and coughed awkwardly behind her hand, before turning to leave.

She only got several feet away before she spun quickly with a big grin, waving and walking backwards for a few steps. Angela stifled a giggle with her hand and wave back with the other before Fareeha turned again. They both turned away at the same time, Angela to finish paying for her groceries and Fareeha, with a dumb grin on her face, as she made her way towards the exit where her mom and Hana waited.

“Jeez, that was hard to watch,” Hana whispered to Ana while Fareeha was still out of earshot and Ana hummed in agreement. The two didn’t try to hide their laughter at the dopey smile plastered on Fareeha’s face as she made her way towards them. The laugh broke Fareeha out of her stupor, realizing that they were laughing at her, causing her blush to deepen.

Later that day, after getting home and putting away the groceries, everyone sat around the table talking about their day. Lena and Emily walked over after receiving an invitation for lunch. Ana was busy finishing making sandwiches for everyone when the conversation began to die down. 

“Reinhardt, how do you say ‘mother’ in German?” Hana asked after a moment of silence. She smiled at Ana when she entered with the tray of sandwiches, putting one on a plate for herself and pulling the sandwich close to her. 

“Ah, well, there are some different ways to say it,” Reinhardt smiled as he thought, hand on his chin for a moment. He laughed loudly and focused back on her. “You could say _Mutter_ , for ‘mother’. Or, _Mama_ or _Mutti_ for ‘mom’. Why do you ask?”

“Well, I just figured I should start calling Angela ‘mom’, too? You know, since Fareeha is gonna marry her someday,” Hana said with a sly grin. The only sound that could be heard through the uproarious laughter at the table was Fareeha nearly choking on her sandwich, attempting and failing to sputter a response.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, please correct me if I have any issues with the foreign languages. I am but a foolish 'Merican who can only speak very little Spanish and even less Latin.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay guys! I've been working on my original WIP for nanowrimo, so that's been pulling a lot of my focus. I took a break from writing that today to finish this up and post it. Sorry if it's kind of a mess. To be honest, this chapter was about 6.5k words, but I ended up cutting it in half at a decent stopping point. This means the next chapter is PRETTY MUCH written. And I'll end up working on it in my spare time when I need to focus on something that's not my nano project.
> 
> anyways. without further ado. I hope you guys enjoy this mess of words strung together.

Hana’s party was quickly approaching. Several days before the big day, Ana suggested that Fareeha and Hana sleep at her house so they could decorate early. Fareeha happily obliged, but as she listened to Hana’s rapid fire list of things they could do at their slumber party, she began to regret her decision.

Saturday finally rolled around and Fareeha filled a duffel bag with clothes for the next day, making extra sure to pick out something nice for the party. Even though it was a casual birthday party, Fareeha wanted to look her best when she saw Angela. Especially considering the first time they really met she was bleeding profusely from the nose. The second, she had met her mother and Hana at the store after work, so she was sweaty and gross.

She tossed an old pair of sweatpants and a ripped old Van Halen tshirt to sleep in. For the party, she picked out a worn in pair of jeans that she knew fit her well, topped with one of her favorite hockey tshirts. Before running out the door, she grabbed a slice of toast off Lena’s breakfast plate and waved goodbye to the married couple.

It seemed like everyone needed their car inspected or oil changed, but Fareeha was mostly thankful for this. Despite being demanding job, her workday flew by pretty quickly. She was only scheduled until 5pm, but ended up staying an hour later to help her uncle with a lingering customer. To make her day even quicker, she would usually have a text waiting from Hana narrating her sleepover preparations during any of the lulls between customers.

In one of her many texts, Hana explained that Ana picked her up from her shift at the cafe in the early afternoon. And when she excitedly told the older woman about their sleepover plans, Ana made a detour to the grocery store for anything that Hana deemed as ‘necessary sleepover items’. Fareeha was slightly fearful of what that could possibly mean.

By the time Fareeha arrived at her mother’s house, it was close to dinner time. After eating, she talked to Ana and Reinhardt for a little, watching Hana set up her consoles on the living room television. She excused herself to shower and while she was upstairs, Hana got the living room ready, putting out snacks and setting up their sleeping area. Ana said it was okay that they slept on the couch and even provided her with pillows and blankets. By the time their alleged slumber party was in full swing, it was close to seven thirty in the evening.

“So, what’s first?” Fareeha asked with a smile despite her exhaustion.

Most of their night was spent playing video games, which Fareeha was quite thankful for. It was mindless fun and she didn’t need to focus on much else aside from constantly losing. At one point, she actually tried to beat Hana, and even her best efforts were no match for the gamer, who wasn’t even paying attention. Instead, she was focused on her phone.

A little over an hour into their gaming session, Fareeha felt her own phone vibrating with a text.

 **ANGELA ZIEGLER (8:42 pm):** Hey, I hope I’m not texting too late. I just wanted to let you know that Brigitte texted me saying she doesn’t need to work tomorrow so we can come earlier than expected.

 **FAREEHA AMARI (8:43 pm):** Not too late at all :) Hana wanted to have a sleepover. Thanks for the heads up, Hana is going to be so excited. She has no idea!

Fareeha smiled down at her phone. Since trading numbers, the two exchanged a few texts and a call. Mostly about the upcoming birthday party. Angela wanted to buy Hana something special and texted Fareeha for ideas. Instead of responding in texts, Fareeha asked if she could just call her because it would be easier to explain the plans for Hana’s bigger gifts. Talking about gifts led into talking about Hana, which led to a multitude of other things. What began as a 5 minute call lasted for well over an hour of just chatting and getting to know one another. Thinking back to the things she learned about her someone who had become a friend now was the reason a smile crept onto her face.

They continued playing video games and talking about Hana's party. When they took a break from gaming, Hana tried to get Fareeha to let her paint her nails, but Fareeha violently opposed. She smiled and listened to Hana talk about school or her 'crush'. Fareeha feigned ignorance, pretending she had no idea who it was and gave advice. She was thankful that Hana was so focused on talking about her own love life that she forgot to bring up Fareeha's lack of one. After Hana's nails dried, they went back to playing games. Before she knew it, it was already midnight. And then one. And by the time the two had actually fallen asleep, it was nearing three in the morning.

The next morning, Lena and Emily arrived an hour and a half early. The house was fully decorated with pink and green streamers and balloons and the two walked through the house, admiring the colorful decor, and complementing Ana, Reinhardt and Hana. Emily, ever the baker, started baking the cake after giving the birthday girl a big hug. Lena sat at the kitchen breakfast bar.

After thirty minutes, Lena started to get bored. She spun on the stool and watched her wife combining the cake ingredients excitedly. Emily had always been an amazing baker, but she rarely had the chance to actually put her skills to use. The house was fully decorated. Emily never let her help while baking, or cooking for that matter. Hana was upstairs, showering and getting ready for her party. She saw Ana had laid out snacks and grabbed a handful.

“Where’s Ree?” the Brit asked through a mouth full of cheese.

“Oh, she’s still asleep on the couch. The girls didn’t fall asleep until late last night,” Ana said absentmindedly, helping Emily by greasing the baking pan. “We decided to let her sleep.”

Lena looked to the couch, a sly grin spread across the Brit’s face. Slowly and quietly she made her way to the couch and peered over the top, seeing her best friend sprawled across the couch, snoring with her mouth slightly open. She backed away and practically skipped toward the fridge. When she saw her weapon of choice, she grabbed it. But before she could move to use it, there was a knock at the front door.

Seeing Ana busy, she made her way to open the door, can of whipped cream in hand. Hana thundered down the stairs, hair mostly dried and her makeup finished, complete with pink whiskers painted on her cheeks. Lena laughed at the sight and they opened the door together.

Angela and Brigitte stood on the front steps. Hana’s excitement melted into shyness when she saw her auburn haired friend peering out from behind the tall blonde’s shoulder. Lena greeted the two and led them into the foyer. Brigitte tucked a lock of hair behind her ear when she saw Hana standing in the hallway waiting for her. With shy smiles, the girls greeted each other and Hana turned to lead her guest upstairs, saying she was still getting ready, leaving Lena and Angela in the entryway.

“You’re early!” Lena exclaimed.

“I hope that’s okay,” Angela said nervously. “Fareeha said it was okay.”

“Oh, it’s more than okay. Follow me!” Lena said deviously, raising the aerosol can of whipped cream with a devious grin. “I think it’s time she woke up, anyways.”

Confused, Angela followed. When they entered the kitchen, Ana greeted her excitedly, but was quickly shushed by Lena. The older woman turned to wash the flour off her hands and took Anegla’s coat and purse. When the two got to the back of the couch, Angela realized what Lena was going to do, and she stifled a giggle behind her hand. The Brit held back a laugh of her own as she shook the can, mischief twinkling in her eyes.

Rounding the couch, Lena crouched in front of the sleeping Fareeha and sprayed a huge dollop of whipped cream into her palm. Ana joined them at the back of the couch and smiled, shaking her head at Lena’s shenanigans. The older woman raised a finger, silently telling Lena to wait. She left, but quickly returned with a ripped piece of pink streamer. Lena took it excitedly.

She held the streamer over Fareeha’s face, gently tickling her nose. Fareeha’s nose twitched and she moved slightly; the women watching suppressed another round of giggles. Again, the streamer tickled Fareeha’s nose and her nose twitched again, sniffing loudly and turning her head. Lena held her breath, hoping Fareeha wouldn’t wake up. When she settled, Lena tried again, this time with the desired result.

Fareeha sniffed again, scrunching her nose up, and lifted her whipped cream filled hand to itch it, smearing the white fluff all over her face. Unable to hold their laughter in anymore, the three women burst out in loud giggles, waking Fareeha up even further. Opening her eyes, she saw white, her face wet. She looked from Lena, to her hand, and realized what happened.

“I’m gonna—” Fareeha jumped to her feet and rounded on her short friend. Lena shrieked and ran into the kitchen, leaving Ana and Angela to laugh even harder.

The sound of a familiar, yet foreign laugh, caused Fareeha to pause in her attempt to catch her lightening fast friend. She turned to see her beautiful blue eyed friend laughing with her mother. She froze in embarrassment, knowing she must look foolish with whipped cream on her face and hands. She groaned, feeling the blush creep up her neck and heat her face. She was only partially thankful that the whipped cream was covering it.

“Uh—” she started, but no words would come. She reached to itch her the side of her face in nervousness, but only succeeded in smearing the whipped cream further across her face. “I’m showering. I’m going to shower now,” she managed to stutter out before sprinting for the stairs. She passed Hana and Brigitte on her way up the stairs, almost tripping from taking them two at a time. She could hear the two girls cackling as they continued to descend the stairs, but ignored them.

Fareeha got ready in record time. She had to wash her hair because thanks to Lena, there was cool whip in it. In all, it only took her a half hour to get ready. When she was putting the last few golden beads in the small braids framing her face when she heard the first few guests arrive. They were early. Before leaving the bathroom she gave herself a once over. Despite still feeling embarrassed, she gave herself a small nod and grabbed her phone, turning toward the stairs and smoothing her shirt as she went.

The house was already loud with music and laughter as the new guests settled in. Despite being allowed to invite as many people as she wanted, the Hana only wanted to invite a select few. Fareeha recognized the two that arrived as Lúcio and Yuna. She’d seen photos of them from photos on Hana’s many social media accounts. She and Lúcio participated in track and field together and Yuna was part of the video game club at school.

Lúcio stood in the corner of the living room, setting up what looked to be a large boombox. He had his phone out, quickly scrolling through it, and after a moment, loud EDM music blasted. Brigitte sat on the couch, quietly watching as she and Yuna danced around the coffee table while their game loaded. Fareeha smiled at how happy Hana looked in this moment, surrounded by friends. The doorbell rang again and Hana laughed loudly, scurrying around the couch, and ran towards the door. She skidded to a stop in her socks and opened the door. A squeal of delight came from the young girl as the rest of her friends came barreling into the hallway into.

The rest of the video gaming club was here. Those with gifts deposited them on the dining room table before rushing off to the couches. Fareeha didn’t quite understand it, the video games. Growing up, she was always outside or playing sports. Even on rainy days, she found a way to exert all of her extra energy, playing basketball indoors or going to the gym. But she appreciated the camaraderie Hana had with her fellow gamers.

Fareeha followed a few steps behind the crowd of teens and shyly entered the room, still feeling embarrassed at Angela seeing her in her sleep clothes with whipped cream all over her face. She wanted to make a good first impression, but failed spectacularly. Entering the kitchen, she saw Angela leaning against the counter chatting with her mother. She smiled at the sight, and her smile only grew when the blonde’s blue eyes met her.

“I see you’ve met almost everyone,” Fareeha began, nodding to the women— her family. Angela nodded slightly.

“We were just talking about Reinhardt; he should be home any minute,” Ana spoke, and smiled when she heard the sound of the garage door opening and closing. “Speak of the devil.”

Reinhardt entered the house from the garage, two small bags in his hands. Fareeha recognized one of the bags as part of their gift to Hana and smiled. He smiled at Ana and moved to hug her, but his eyes caught sight of the blonde and he stopped. Angela’s expression was priceless; her eyes wide in awe and mouth hanging open at the sight of such a giant man.

“Aha! Is this the famous Angela!” Reinhardt boomed and crossed the room with a ground shaking laugh, quickly enveloping Angela in a hug. Angela tentatively wrapped her arms as best as she could around Reinhardt and gave him an awkward pat on the back.

“It is so nice to meet you. We’ve heard so much about you!” he said. When he pulled away from the hug, massive hands still on her delicate shoulders, he spoke again, this time in German. Fareeha watched in amusement as Angela blinked in confusion before her mouth curved into a beautiful smile and her blue eyes sparkled. She responded in kind, causing Reinhardt to roar with laughter and sweep Angela in another hug. This one, she happily returned.

Once the introductions were over, they migrated to the dining room, where Fareeha pulled a chair out for Angela and they sat together. The six of them fell into comfortable conversation, varying in topics from funny childhood adventures to war stories from the veterans. After chatting for almost an hour, Ana decided that it was time to go get the pizzas she ordered earlier. Seeing Ana leave, Emily left to ice the cake. Lena followed her wife, leaving Reinhardt, Angela, and Fareeha sitting at the table.

Fareeha and listened to her father figure speaking to the woman she was slowly falling for in their native languages. Warmth spread through her chest and she found herself, for the first time in a long time, being perfectly content. After some time, they seemed to realize that they were leaving Fareeha out and switched back to speaking in their shared language, English. With a laugh, Fareeha joined the conversation while they waited for the food to arrive.

When Ana returned with the pizza and set out paper plates, the teenagers cheered and gathered in the kitchen. There was a loud commotion as everyone tried to get a slice and piled back onto the couch (after getting permission from Ana that it was okay to eat in the living room). Once the teenagers settled back into their gaming with their pizza, the adults loaded up their own plates. Fareeha made sure to joke that her Mom was surely getting old because she ordered too many pizzas.

The teens finished eating, groaning in pleasure with full stomachs. Soon after, Ana announced that it was time to open gifts and eat cake. Everyone filtered into the living room, placing their gifts in a pile. Ana handed out cake for everyone to eat while Hana sat in the middle of the room, almost vibrating with excitement waiting to open all her gifts.

From her friends, she received some posters from her favorite video games, a few t-shirts, and some music from Lúcio. Finally, the gaming club collectively pitched in to buy her favorite computer game. Hana knew that Fareeha and the others were giving their gifts later (including a shy Brigitte who said she’d wait), so she excitedly thanked her friends. By the time she finished opening gifts, everyone had finished eating their cake.

The only day that Hana could have her birthday party was on a Sunday, so she decided to have an afternoon party and have her friends leave before dinner. The party progressed quickly from then, laughter floating through the house as the teens resumed playing their video games and the adults continued talking. When five finally rolled around, all of Hana’s friends, other than Brigitte, respectfully packed their things and hugged the birthday girl before thanking the hosts and leaving.

“That seemed too easy,” Fareeha remarked, reaching up to start taking down the streamers in the living room, unaware of the quiet snickering from the others.

With the extra help, it had only taken an hour before the pink and green decor was in the trash and the house was clean. Reinhardt, Fareeha, and Brigitte were the tallest, by far, and they were able to get the tape from the areas where the streamers were attached to the wall. Despite Fareeha telling her she didn’t need to, Angela stayed to help. Ana suggested that Angela help her in the kitchen, and they happily chatted while wiping counters. Emily and Lena helped Hana and Brigitte with the miscellaneous trash that littered the living room.

After finishing Reinhardt took all the trash bags outside. Emily opened a bottle of wine and Lena grabbed some beers from the fridge for the adults and they all sat around the table again, now able to relax after cleaning. Hana took Brigitte by the hand and led her into the living room where they continued to play games. Fareeha decided to follow, but Angela stayed, already deep into a conversation with the others about medical school.

Fareeha played with Hana and Brigitte for about an hour before Angela made her way into the living room, wine glass in hand and a fresh beer for Fareeha. She managed a distracted ‘thank you’ while she was fighting against Hana and Brigitte, trying not to fall off the ledge for the nth time of the night. She just couldn’t get the hang of the controls. When she finally died, she huffed and leaned back into her seat, looking at Angela.

“Not doing too hot?”

“No,” she grumbled, reaching for her beer and taking a long swig, letting the warmth of the alcohol mix with the warmth of being so close to Angela. Their thighs were touching, and Fareeha was struggling not to think about that. She was struggling not to think about how Angela smelled like flowers. Struggling not to think about the lightness in her chest when Angela laughed at her silly grin. Maybe it was the beer. Or maybe she was falling faster than she’d thought she was.

The sound of the doorbell ringing pulled Fareeha out of her spiraling thoughts. At her mothers insistence, Fareeha the coziness of her seat next to Angela to see who was at the door.

When she opened it, she almost dropped her beer in surprise. Jesse McCree stood in front of her, cowboy hat and all.

“Well, howdy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please forgive me for all the spelling and/or grammatical errors. After November is over, I'll probably come back and edit it, but for now. It's been written and I didn't really want to keep anyone waiting on account of me feeling bad about my writing, haha.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been a minute since I've posted. I wrote 51k words in November toward my original work that I'm hoping to publish eventually, so I've been a bit preoccupied. 
> 
> I'm posting this with minimal revisions, so I'm sure there's a lot of stuff that is messed up or sounds wonky. I just really wanted to post it since it's been mostly written for quite some time and I've been busy. I may eventually come back and edit it, but I won't promise anything lol.
> 
> Since I'm finished with nano this year, I'm hoping to post more regularly.

“Jesse!” Fareeha gasped and set her beer down on the console in the entryway before jumping into his arms to give him a bone-crushing hug. “What the hell are you doing here! Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

 It’d been over a year since Fareeha had seen her best friend. She and Jesse were friends in high school. He was two years her senior, and joined the Army before her. Thankfully, they were often stationed together after her basic training. Jesse’s parent’s disowned him when he enlisted and when Fareeha found out, she invited him home with her. Ana made set up a spare bedroom for him, taking him as one of her own. Even on rare occasions when Fareeha was still deployed and he wasn’t, Jesse stayed with Ana and Reinhardt— his makeshift family.

 They both rose through the ranks quickly, Fareeha swiftly surpassing Jesse. Six years after they met, when Fareeha was 24 and Jesse 26, both were chosen for part of a highly trained strike team. Jesse didn’t mind that Fareeha was chosen over him for the commanding position in their unit. Truth be told, he didn’t want that type of pressure. But Fareeha was made for it. She was Ana’s daughter through and through; determined almost to a fault.

 While they had many successful missions, mostly intelligence gathering and hostage rescues, he was there for their last mission. Fareeha wasn’t the only one who left parts of herself in that dusty, Middle Eastern building. Unfortunately, with her leadership position, Fareeha felt like she carried the burden of blame. It took her months to be able to look at her best friend without becoming overcome with anxiety and guilt. She’d come a long way since then; they both had.

 With a boisterous laugh, Jesse entered the familiar house. In a flash, he jumped at Fareeha, who yelped in surprise, and grabbed her neck with one arm, and with his other he messed her hair with his prosthetic hand. “That’s no way to treat your guests, little lady!”

 “Screw you—” Fareeha managed to say in her struggle. She was bent over, squirming and pulling at her friend’s strong grip around her neck. “You’re no guest!”

 Wriggling out of the grasp, she grabbed Jesse’s cowboy hat and sprinted into the living room, cackling as she rounded the corner. Scrambling to take his boots off, Jesse followed closely behind. The commotion drew a crowd and the others entered into the kitchen to see Fareeha standing in the living room with her fingers and thumbs pointed up in mock pistols, wearing Jesse’s cowboy hat, yelling “stick ‘em up” at her best friend. Jesse tackled her to the ground and they began laughing as they wrestled for control of the hat.

 “Children, behave!” Ana called from the kitchen with a smile. It’d been so long since she’d seen the two of them together. A wave of nostalgia swept over her as she watched her daughter and the man she considered a son wrestle together, just like they did when they were younger; when they were whole. At the scolding the two stopped wrestling and joined the others in the kitchen, lightly shoving each other and panting from exertion.

 “Well dear,” Ana interrupts her daughter before she could ask. “Since you weren’t here for your last birthday, and it was only right before you moved here, we decided to throw you your own surprise party.”

 “It was my idea!” Hana chimed in excitedly. “Since you threw me a birthday party, I wanted to throw one for you too!”

“Hana, why don’t you go get her first gift,” Ana said. “Also, Uncle Torbjörn and Aunt Ingrid will be here later. He just needs to close up the shop.”

A flush crept up Fareeha’s face, and despite her embarrassment, the corners of her mouth quirked up as she watched the energetic girl sprint off towards the stairs. She looked at Angela who was standing beside her and asked, “Did you know about this?”

 With a giggle, the blonde feigned ignorance. Finding out that everyone, even Angela, had known about this warmed her heart. Only a moment passed before she heard Hana thundering back down the stairs and back into the kitchen, her arms full of Nerf guns. Seeing them, Fareeha barked out a loud laugh. The sight of the brightly colored toy guns immediately stirred up old memories of her and Jesse running around the backyard playing as teenagers.

 With six nerf guns, and Fareeha and Jesse as captains, they chose their teams. Fareeha chose Hana and Reinhardt. Fareeha ended up regretting choosing the giant, considering he had terrible depth perception and was a huge target. Jesse chose Lena and Brigitte, the other women opting to sip on their wine. Over the next hour, Ana, Emily and Angela talked as they watched the others sprint around the house shooting foam bullets at each other. After two rounds, it was tied and one final game was to determine the winners.

 The round progressed quicker than the previous. Again, being the biggest target, Reinhardt was the first to be eliminated. He skulked into the kitchen and Ana gave him a faux-comforting pat on the back. Jesse’s team was hunkered in the kitchen, behind the island, so Fareeha devised a plan. She stayed behind the couch and Hana attempted to flank the two others. She took out Brigitte but was taken out in the process, leaving Fareeha and Jesse as the last two standing. He grabbed Ana as a hostage and, without a thought, Fareeha shot, narrowly missing her mother’s face, hitting Jesse square in the forehead and stunning him.

 “You almost _shot_ me, Fareeha,” Ana said with appalled gasp and a disapproving frown.

 “It was a clean shot, Ma. I wasn’t gonna hit you,” Fareeha laughed, out of breath, as the rest of her teammates sprinted to her cheering. Fareeha grabbed her phone and handed it to Angela asking her to take pictures of them. She and Ana took pictures of the victorious team as they posed in several ridiculous photos. After the posing for photos, Fareeha and turned to Angela with a goofy grin and grabbed the offered phone. She dropped to one knee and grabbed Angela’s hand that wasn’t holding a wine glass and continued her theatrics.

 “My fair maiden, I have returned from battle victorious,” Fareeha said, without a care at Lena and Jesse’s guffawing in the background. Adrenaline still coursed through her veins from the silly game they’d just played and she had a bout of confidence, that only strengthened when she heard Angela’s entrancing giggle. Angela let go of Fareeha’s hand and turned to grab a cold beer out of the fridge.

 “Come brave warrior, relax and revel in your victory. It was well deserved,” Angela said with a smirk as she handed her the beer with a bow. Fareeha laughed loudly before grabbing the beer and turning to cheer with her fellow teammates. Angela turned to ask Ana if she needed any help before she settled into the couch, but the woman wasn’t in the kitchen anymore. When she wandered into the dining room, Angela saw Ana wiping her eyes with a tissue, sitting at the dining room table, Lena beside her, rubbing her shoulders and talking to her in a hushed whispers.

 “Ana,” she said quietly. “Are you okay?” The older woman straightened in her chair when she heard Angela speak. A genuine smile spread across her face through her tears. She nodded and rose from her seat.

 “Yes. It’s just—” she began, but interrupted herself with a laugh. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen Fareeha laugh like that.” Ana crossed the room and hugged Angela, who couldn’t help but think she’d received more hugs today than she had since her childhood. With an awkward smile, she looked at Lena, slightly taken aback when she saw the Brit wiping away tears of her own. When she let go, Ana sighed happily and dried her eyes, exiting the room with Lena, leaving a very confused Angela to follow in their wake.

Pizza was heated up and served for dinner, Fareeha finally realizing why her mother had ordered so much. Everyone sat in the living room and contently ate their food. When her mother announced that it was time to open gifts, Fareeha groaned loudly. She’d always hated opening gifts in front of people, but she was thankful that she had friends and family that cared enough to do something like this for her. The announcement also reminded her that Hana had to open some gifts, which made her even more giddy and a little nervous for the big surprise they had planned for the teen.

Everyone gathered around, putting piled of gifts in front of Fareeha and Hana, who sat next to each other on the couch. Fareeha opened her gifts first, awkwardly smiling and laughing at each gift she received. A toolbox full of new tools from Uncle Torb and Aunt Ingrid (though she suspected it was Torbjörn’s idea). A nice bottle of whiskey from Jesse, who just tipped his hat when she thanked him. From Lena and Emily, she received knickknacks for her room, and an envelope that had tickets to an upcoming hockey game for her favorite team. She nearly jumped out of her seat in excitement when she saw them.

Next, she grabbed a light box that was neatly wrapped. She felt Angela shift in her seat next to her and looked up at her with a small smile. “You didn’t have to get me anything.” But Angela just nodded her head with a shy smile, and nudged her to continue opening the gift. Once unwrapped, she opened the white garment box to see a brand-new, bright, blue Canucks hoodie. Her eyes widened and she gaped at it, holding it up to examine it further.

“I hope you like it. The receipt is in there if you don't. Or if it’s the wrong size or something,” Angela said in a rush. “I know it won’t replace your old favorite hoodie… because, well, favorite things are usually sentimental like that. But I figured—”

Angela’s rambling was cut off when Fareeha rushed to give her a hug, adding to the insane amount of hugs she’d received today. This hug, though, she didn’t mind, and returned it quickly, melting into Fareeha’s arms. “It’s the best. Thank you,” Fareeha whispered into her neck, low enough for only her to hear. And then, just like that, the warmth of her hug was gone and Fareeha pulled back to admire the hoodie again, oblivious to Angela’s brightly colored cheeks.

“It’ll be my new favorite hoodie. I can wear it to the hockey game!” she said with a huge, goofy grin, even more excited at the prospect of wearing it to the game.

Grabbing her last few gifts, she opened them quickly. They were all from her mother and Reinhardt. A pair of her favorite brand of socks (”You know you’re old when you’re excited about receiving socks”), new sheets for her bed and finally a large, fairly heavy box was left for her to open. Ripping the first piece of wrapping paper, she already saw what was inside. Her hands slowed and she looked at Ana who inclined her head with a gentle smile, encouraging her to continue.

Underneath the wrapping paper was a large, beautifully crafted display case— a deep walnut brown wood with a black felt backboard. Resting in the center was her name patch, reading AMARI. Surrounding it were all of the awards, medals, and ribbon’s she’d received during her time serving, including her Purple Heart. At the bottom was the American flag folded neatly in its traditional triangle. Fareeha studied the case with reverence, before gently holding it to her chest and looking at her mother with tears in her eyes. She managed to choke out a quiet thank you before she crossed the room to pull her mother and Reinhardt into a loving embrace.

“I love it”.

“Alright, alright. Open mine now!” she heard Hana yell, effectively killing the somber mood. She sat down and Hana shoved a brightly wrapped box into her hands. She bounced excitedly and spoke quickly, “I saved the best for last. No offense, Ana,” who shook her head and laughed with a wave, “And then we can open mine.”

Fareeha laughed and began unwrapping the brightly colored box in her hands. It was another garment box, but when she opened it she saw a magnet and a t-shirt both reading ‘Proud East Oasis University Mom’. Before she could react, Hana excitedly blurted out, “I got in!” and hugged Fareeha tightly, a string of affirmations flowing from Fareeha. “I’m so proud of you,” she said squeezing tighter. “You’re going to do great,” with a laugh and a sniff. “I knew you could do it,” pulling back to look the smaller woman in her teary eyes, so that Hana knew she truly meant it.

“Alright, alright,” Hana said through a laugh, wiping her tears away. She beamed, “My turn!”

Hana was quick to grab a box but Ana was quicker, slapping her hand away.

“There is a special order for some of your gifts.”

Before they got to the more special gifts, Hana opened up the ones without order. Fareeha gifted her a t-shirt with lettering that said ‘My mom can beat up your mom’, which earned a laugh from everyone. Angela bought her a thick book, and defended herself when Hana looked at her skeptically.

“You said you might want to study engineering. Well, that’s a lot of physics. That’s a book about the physics of superheroes!” At her explanation, Hana excitedly turned the book over and skimmed the back. Her smile grew with every word she read and she thanked the blonde with a laugh, and a comment about how she’d never thought she’d be excited to receive a book for a birthday gift,

Brigitte gave Hana her gift next, handing her an envelope. Hana smiled and opened it to reveal tickets to the next ComicCon event. She gasped, looking at the two tickets. Wide eyes looked up at the taller girl next to her. Brigitte smiled down at her with a crooked grin, “Do you like it? I was thinking we could go together…”

Hana squealed in excitement and hugged Brigitte tightly. She laughed and excitedly spoke into her shoulder. “Yes. I’d love to go with you.” The hug lasted longer than would be friendly, and they broke away with awkward giggles and red faces. Hana looked back down at the the tickets and smiled widely.

“Okay. The last could gifts are from the rest of us. And there are some rules that go with them,” Fareeha began. She stood in the center of the living room. Hana stared intently, hanging on her every word. “You’re turning eighteen this week. When we first met, it was at the Army booth at a college fair. I saw so many kids sign their name that day, but you were the only one that really mattered to me, Hana.” A chorus of awws sounded around the room, but Fareeha’s eyes never left Hana’s, neither of their smiles faltering.

“And somehow you weaseled your way into my life,” Fareeha smiled, laughter erupting around the room. “After all the hours on the phone and the millions of texts, I think it’s obvious, but I’ll say it: I love you, kid,” Fareeha’s voice cracked slightly and her eyes watered. “You mean so much to me, and you’re so important. I don’t think the rules will be an issue, since you’ve been accepted to college. The rule is this: if you still want to join up, you’ll join the Reserves. It’ll help pay for college and—”

 “Yes!” Hana interrupts, loudly. “You don’t have to convince me! It was what I was going to do anyways.”

 With a laugh, Fareeha nodded and left the room, returning with a largish box. She handed it to Hana with a fond smile. “The first gift is mine.”

 Hana nodded wildly and looked down at the pink wrapping paper. It was only for a moment though, because a split second later, she was tearing furiously at the gift wrap. As soon as she gets most of the paper off, she’s immediately screaming. She tossed the half opened gift on into Brigitte’s lap and leapt into Fareeha’s arms.

 “I don’t know anything about gaming computers,” the taller woman explained through the hug. Hana laughed, almost maniacally, through her tears of excitement and joy. The rest of the party happily watched as the two embraced and Fareeha continued, “I just asked the guy which was the best and bought that one.”

After breaking from the hug and laughing, examining the box again, Hana continued to open her gifts at light speed. Lena and Emily bought her a nice gaming headset. A gaming mouse from Angela, who laughed when Hana continued her tour of hugs. And finally, everyone pitched in for several games that Hana wanted. That one was more difficult than the others. Fareeha had to discreetly contact her friends in the gaming club and ask which games Hana would be interested in. She came away with a list of about 20 games, but Yuna helped narrow it down some.

After countless thank you’s and hugs, Hana jumped up, grabbing Brigitte’s hand and the laptop box, intending to go set it up. A hand on her shoulder stopped her.

“There’s one more gift,” Fareeha said, stopping her in her tracks. The girl’s eyes widened in shock and she plopped back down onto the couch in awe.

“There’s more?” she asked, flabbergasted. Laughter erupted from the room and Fareeha nodded, a big smile plastered on her face.

“An this is the most important one— should you accept it, that is,” Ana interjected, standing to hand the girl a small box. She inspected it intently, wondering how something so small could be so much more important than the other gifts. Her eyes raised when she heard Ana continue, “This is from me and Reinhardt, but my daughter and Lena might have come up with the idea.”

In a direct contrast to her demeanor before, Hana tentatively tore at the thin wrapping paper to reveal a small box. What lie within the box left her speechless. A long pink lanyard with bunnies sat in the box, and at the center, attached to the base, was a key. A house key.

“Hana, that is the key to our home,” Ana explained. The room quietened, allowing her to continue. “If it is acceptable to you, Reinhardt and I want you to come live with us when you officially turn eighteen. You’ve become a member of our family. And we want you to know that you’ll always be loved and supported here in this family.”

Tears slid down Hana’s cheeks as listened to Ana and continued to inspect the key. She held it as if it was made of glass, gently cradling it. At Ana’s last statement, Hana’s resolve broke and she let out a sob, and then another. Crossing the room, she held onto Ana, sobbing into her shoulder. Rubbing circles on Hana’s back, the older woman spoke soothing words into the embrace. When Hana calmed, she looked puffy-eyed, at the others in the room. Her family.

There was not a dry eye in the house. While Ana had small tears gracing her cheeks, Reinhardt was a blubbering mess, joining in on the hug. Lena and Emily smiled, teary eyed at them and offered a small thumbs up. Brigitte looked away wiping her wet eyes; her parents smiling and rubbing their daughter’s shoulders at the powerful mention of family. Finally, Hana looked to Fareeha, who beamed proudly at her, quickly wiping a tear off her cheek. She laughed quietly as the blonde next to her slapped on the arm and held tightly, wiping tears of her own from her reddened cheeks. The sight bringing more happy tears.

She finally felt like she had a home, a family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for everyone who is still following along with this. I know it's hit a lull, I think, but I promise next chapter will be a bit more exciting! 
> 
> I hope I tagged this as slow burn, because it is _definitely_ slow burn.
> 
> PS. I did the rough math and there should be apx 22 chapters.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo... sorry I've been MIA. I promise I'm not abandoning this fic! Hope you like it, I kinda struggled with just writing it and getting it done. I've been working on my original WIP, so i've been like pretty heavy into that. Anyways...
> 
> So, this been minimally edited, i should stress the MINIMALLY here lol. It's probably a hot mess, but i've been messing around with it for a while and figured i'd just get it done and post it so you guys can read it, i guess?

It was the day of Hana’s birthday. She was finally 18. 

Fareeha couldn’t sleep. She tossed and turned all night, thinking about what Hana’s birthday might bring. Every possible scenario ran through her head. 

If things went according to plan, Hana’s foster parents, Howard and Beth, would allow Fareeha to take the young girl’s things with no problem. Fareeha spent many nights talking with Hana letting the younger girl vent about how much her foster parent’s told her they wanted her gone. She was hoping that there wouldn’t be an issue.

On the other hand, Fareeha knew that Howard and June liked to make Hana’s life difficult. She wouldn’t put it past them to try and force her to stay just to make her life hell. Luckily, the law was on Hana’s side. She was legally an adult, and did not need to stay with them any more. 

Four months into their budding friendship, Fareeha had heard enough from Hana to get in contact with a social worker. An old friend of her mother’s, a woman named Satya. After explaining the situation, she was troubled to find that there was nothing she could do to help Hana. They kept in contact with over the next months. 

In the days leading up to Hana’s birthday, Fareeha and Satya spoke nearly daily. Fareeha wanted to know exactly what she could do, legally, to help the girl out of the house, and while Hana was her main focus, she knew that there were two other younger children in the house.

According to Satya, Ana and Reinhardt’s home was a stable living condition, and after speaking with Ana, the social worker agreed that it was a more than suitable living situation than her previous. 

Hana didn’t even need to go back to her foster parent’s. She could leave school today, and come home to Ana and Reinhardt’s. Ever since her birthday party, Hana had been smuggling clothes and essential items out of her foster home and setting up her new room after school. There was still few things she’d needed. And Fareeha intended to get them. 

When Fareeha finally decided to wake up, she looked at her phone, squinting when the bright light of the screen assaulted her eyes. 5:53am. Early. It wasn’t a surprise, truthfully. She’d never quite shaken the early morning routine from her military days. She accepted the fate of being awake and sat, stretching her legs before standing to start her day.

Shower, makeup, coffee, breakfast. Same routine, every day, not always in that order.

Today, coffee was more important than anything else. She started the brew before she hopped in the shower. The cool water helped shake loose the last little bit of exhaustion. After her shower she poured her coffee and took it back to the bathroom to start her makeup. 

Fareeha always prided herself on her beauty. She knew she was blessed in that area by whatever gods that may be. Tall, broad shouldered, tanned and toned. Her skin had always been clear, aside from a few years when she was in high school and was hit pretty hard with acne. When she was 18, Jesse took her to get a tattoo matching her mothers as a reward for finishing basic training.

The Eye of Horus. Protection. Power. Honor. Her mother was pissed when she’d returned, undereye bandaged and taped. Young Fareeha stood tall and proud, even when her mother was yelling at her and Jesse for being impulsive and out of control. Later, when Fareeha was recovering, Ana would tell her differently. That, yes, she was angry, but that night, she cried, not because she was upset, but because she was proud. Happy that her daughter looked up to her so much; scared what that life would bring for her.

(Jesse got a tattoo below his navel that read BAMF in large letters. He’d never admit it, but he almost broke Fareeha’s hand in his grip and cried  _ the entire time _ .)

Since her accident though, Fareeha covered her tattoo with makeup. Once, when asked why by Lena, Fareeha said she didn’t deserve to wear it. She wasn’t a protector anymore. And that was the end of it. Any time it was brought up again, she quickly shut the conversation down. Today was no different. 

She took a sip of coffee and inspected herself in the mirror. The tattoo adorning her right cheek was slightly faded. She hated it. It was just a reminder of who she used to be— a defender, a hero. That wasn’t her anymore. A familiar pang of emptiness open in her chest. 

Self-consciously, she shifted her weight and began painting over the dark inked skin with concealer. She wasn’t that person anymore and she didn’t deserve to wear that mark proudly. That life had come and gone; she was different now, no longer the young, happy woman who came home proudly bearing the mark of an Amari. 

She shook herself of the feelings, taking a slight comfort in her routine. When she finally made her way back downstairs to begin breakfast, Lena was sitting at the table with a coffee of her own.

“Thanks for the coffee! I made eggs,” Lena almost shouted from her spot at the table. 

Fareeha nodded noncommittally, still feeling the pit in her chest. The uncomfortable ache of  something wrong. No matter how much she tried to shake it, it wouldn't go away. It wasn’t unfamiliar, however; she’d dealt with this looming feeling for years now. While the depression was almost crippling after the incident, she was finally able to at least cope. Ignore the feeling enough that she could get through the day. 

Sometimes it was worse. She couldn’t find the joy in anything. Cycling through all the things she used to like, trying new things, nothing would fill the hole in her chest. Nothing could fix the feeling of despair. And it wasn’t even that— despair. It was just a dull ache. It was something missing. Something she used to have was gone. And it was just  _ empty _ . 

She tried talking to a therapist, but that was frustrating and agitating. The man could talk and talk, but he would never know what she went through. He would never know the pain of being whole in one moment, and in the next waking up, weeks later, with a missing limb and partial hearing. He’d never know what war was like— to feel the warm wetness of your friend’s blood on your hands, to watch the light leave their eyes, to see your own leg detached, ten feet away. 

This was the life she chose. But if you’d asked her 10 years ago, when she was just finishing basic— when she’d gotten the tattoo— if this is where she’d be— broken, angry, missing parts of her body— she’d laugh. She knew it was always a possibility— but she was an Amari. Things like this didn’t happen to Amari’s. 

A vibration in her back pocket and the sound of her phone broke her from her spiraling thoughts. Fareeha pushed herself off the counter, setting her plate on the counter, and opened her phone to see a text from Angela.

_** ANGELA ZIEGLER (7:16 am): ** I hope your day is better than mine. I just got to work… late because I spilled coffee all over my shirt. And realized I forgot my lunch on the counter. _

Fareeha frowned at her phone and let her fingers hover over the keyboard, deciding what she wanted to say. She and Angela had been texting more and more since the birthday party. Their relationship grew, and Fareeha thought she could finally call Angela a friend. Though she wanted more, she was content with what they were. 

In the back of her mind, she knew this was a defense mechanism. She was familiar with the things she felt— the increased heart rate, the flutter in her chest when she’d see the beautiful picture next to Angela’s contact, the way she couldn’t seem to go an hour without thinking about the angelic laughter. 

But giving into those thoughts meant pain. Because somewhere, deeper, she knew that she was broken. Angela deserved better than what Fareeha could give. So she kept her distance, indulging in the things she felt, knowing it would have to end at some point. Knowing that it never would come of anything. Telling herself that she was content being alone. 

_** FAREEHA AMARI (7:18 am): ** I’m sorry your morning sucked. I’ll try to stop by after I get Hana’s stuff. I’ll bring some coffee. _

“Who in the world is texting you this early?”

“No one,” Fareeha responded a little too quickly. She ignored Lena’s barrage of questions regarding her vague answer and opened the refrigerator, deciding to make Angela a lunch so she didn’t have to buy one from the cafeteria or snack on something unhealthy from the store. Or worse yet, forgo a lunch like she knew Angela sometimes did. 

It took her some time to decide what to make because she didn’t know what Angela liked, but she settled on a sandwich, cut vegetables, and a berry Greek yogurt. She was half way through making the sandwich when her phone sounded again. 

Lena, quicker than lightning, swiped the phone before Fareeha could grab it. 

“‘It would be  so nice to see you’,” Lena mocked. 

Fareeha swatted at her, feeling her face heat up— both at the fact that Angela wanted to see her, and more, that Lena and Emily were now laughing at her. She snatched her phone out of Lena’s hands, trying to will her face to cool down, and mumbling a quiet, “Shut up”.

Deciding not to respond, Fareeha shoved the phone back into her pocket and finished Angela’s lunch, packing it in a grocery bag. Ignoring her wife’s incessant cackling, Emily placed a hand on Fareeha’s forearm and said a genuine, “It’s cute,” to which Fareeha grunted, embarrassed. 

They didn’t wait long after breakfast to make the visit to Hana’s foster home.

The plan was for Lena and Fareeha to politely ask for permission to take Hana’s things. Hana texted Fareeha last night telling her that the things she wanted to take were packed and ready, hiding under her bed, for Fareeha to pick up.

On the drive, Lena was positive as ever, but Fareeha was prepared for the worst. She didn’t know these people personally, but the things Hana told her made the bad feeling she had even worse. Sounds of the generic pop song playing on the radio and Lena’s off-key singing, filled the car, but Fareeha couldn’t bring herself to join in on the fun. 

They arrived in the late morning. The house wasn’t quite what Fareeha had been expecting. With all the stories Hana told, her mind conjured up something from a horror story. What was more terrifying was that it was a seemingly regular house— a perfect lawn, a nice car in the paved driveway, and a nice set of brick stairs leading to a beautiful white home. 

“If anything goes wrong, don’t fight, just call the cops,” Fareeha instructed, as they walked up the paved path toward the front door.

“Fight?” Lena asked, brows knit together. “We’re just getting her stuff, right?”

Fareeha stopped short of the stairs and lowered her voice, “Listen, from the stories she’s told me, these kids shouldn’t be living here. They’re abusing them.”

Sirens rang in Lena’s head.

“Woah, woah. Hold up,” she said jumping in front of Fareeha. “You’re not going to do anything stupid, are you?”

“Now when have I ever done anything stupid?” Fareeha asked coolly, sidestepping her friend and climbing the stairs.

“Fareeha, come on. You don’t know these people,” she begged, trying and failing to stop her from pressing the doorbell. When she heard movement on the other side of the door, she frantically whispered, “Don’t do this.”

The door opened to a middle aged man with small framed glasses. He looked nice enough, but every story Hana ever told Fareeha lingered at the forefront of her mind. She plastered a fake smile on her face and heard a quiet whine from Lena. The man in the door crossed his arms and eyed them in annoyance.

“Hello, sir. My name is—”

“I don’t want what you’re sellin’,” he said, abruptly cutting her off. He made to close the door, but saw Fareeha open her mouth and frowned deeper, interrupting her again. “And I don’t need Jesus, neither.”

He made to slam the door, but Fareeha was quick to slide her prosthetic foot in the doorframe. The door twanged heavily and bounced back open. He slammed it again, harder, and Fareeha flinched, thinking about the dent it must have caused. The man appeared again, surprised at first, but after inspecting them, his scowl returned.

“What do you want?” he growled.

“Hello, sir. My name is—” she started again.

“I don’t give a shit what your name is,” he growled, taking a step forward. “What do you want.”

“Hana’s things,” she said simply. It caught him off guard, the rage temporarily dissipated, but it was fleeting. A sick laugh ripped from his throat.

“And why would you want that?” he asked , a twisted smirk still on his face. Fareeha’s muscles twitched. She wanted nothing more than to wipe it off his face, to show him what it felt like to be the weaker one. She tightened her hands into fists, but didn’t move.

“She isn’t living here anymore; she is living elsewhere.”

“Like hell she is. She’s my daughter.”

“Today is her 18th birthday. She doesn’t need to stay in your abusive home anymore.”

“Abusive?” he laughed through his gritted teeth. He opened his mouth to speak again, but Fareeha interrupted.

“Yes, abusive,” she smiled again, threateningly. “You don’t quite look how I imagined you. I didn’t picture you so… weak.” 

Lena gasped and whispered a quiet, scolding, “ Ree” , but she ignored it. Standing taller, she looked into the man’s eyes, silently challenging him. His change in demeanor was what she was expecting. She expected the anger and frustration, but she wanted him to lash out. And he did.

“I’m not  _ weak _ . ”

“Could have fooled me,” Fareeha sneered, knowing with every word she spoke, she was getting deeper under his skin. “Does it make you feel better when you hurt them? When you yell at them and tell them they’re nothing?” she took a step forward, matching him with a quiet intensity. “Does it make you feel like a man?”

“Who do you think you are?” he snarled, spittle falling from his lips. This is the man Hana knows. Teeth gritting, face red, and a thick vein popping from his neck. This is the man who abuses the children in the home. Lena startled and cowered deeper behind her at the man’s show, but Fareeha remained unfazed. 

“You might scare those kids, but you don’t scare me,” she said, advancing again. She felt Lena’s hand on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off. “You’re nothing but a weak, little—”

Fareeha felt a fist connect with her gut and the air leave her lungs. Lena gasped and swore quietly as Fareeha stumbled back into her. 

“Oh, come on, Howard,” Fareeha wheezed out a mocking laugh. “You can do better than that.”

She heard the man growl again and tensed her body, ready for the inevitable blow. She wasn’t expecting a kick to her chest, sending her backwards, past Lena. She slipped and fell down the half flight of stairs. The man was down them an instant later, delivering another heavy kick to her stomach.

At first, Lena tried to stop him, but he flung an elbow back into her face. Blood gushed from her nose. She stumbled backward, fumbling for her phone in her pocket, dialing the three numbers Fareeha instructed her.

Another kick to her side and she groaned in pain before taunting him again, sending him deeper into his blind rage. He jumped on top of her, hand on her shirt and delivering a flurry of blows aimed at her face. The world stopped and the only thing she could feel was pain.

In some sick, twisted way, it was calming. Pain spread through the side of her head, throbbing in her skull. She was at peace with the pain, knowing, hoping, that when the police came, they’d see him attacking her. The taste of copper spread through her mouth . He’d get arrested, and the kids removed from the home. The skin on her lip and brow broke open with a sharp, lancing pain. He wouldn’t be able to abuse anyone else. She closed her eyes and let that be her focus.

By the time Fareeha could hear the police sirens, she was barely holding onto consciousness. Never once did she fight back, other than her verbal taunts, but those stopped when her vision blurred and the world spun. Her face and torso throbbed in time with her heart, and she could feel the blood pouring from her nose and broken skin. 

Dimly, she felt the attack ending, the man being pulled off by officers. Lena, nose bloody, appeared over her. The fear on her face was laced with subtle frustration. Her lips moved, but she was muffled, as if underwater. Fareeha only caught bits of “You’re so stupid,” and, “Please don’t die, Ana will kill me,” before the world dimmed. 

When she woke, she was in a hospital bed. Pain radiated across her chest and stomach when she moved. She grunted through the pain and sat upright, feeling the tug of the IV in her arm. The room was dark, lit  only by a dimmed strip of lighting behind the bed. In the corner, she saw her mother sleeping in a small cot. An empty chair sat near the table, surrounded by papers, Lena’s purse slung on the back. In the recliner next to the bed, she saw Angela, body contorted uncomfortably, but fast asleep.

The door opened and she saw Lena enter, putting her phone away, coffee in hand. A deep bruise had formed under her right eye. She brightened at the sight of Fareeha awake, and she rushed over to the bed, nearly spilling her drink. Through the pain, they laughed.

“Oh my god, Ree,” Lena gushed, gently hugging her friend. “I was so scared.”

“What happened?”

Lena pulled away to begin retelling what happened after Fareeha passed out. Before the police came, Lena snuck up to Hana’s room and grabbed the few things she hid under her bed. “Three boxes and a bag of clothes, Ree. You got your ass beat for three boxes,” she chided, before continuing.

When the police finally came, they pulled him off Fareeha, cuffing him and taking him away. Lena stayed with Fareeha while she fell unconscious, and called Ana to tell her what happened. The EMS came soon after, strapping Fareeha to the gurney. She was in and out of consciousness, but Fareeha remembers none of it. 

“Yeah, you kept asking me if I took Angela the lunch you made her,” Lena said with a sly grin, adjusting herself on the side of the bed. “Every time you woke up, ‘Did you take Angela her lunch?’ and I’d nod. And five minutes later, ‘You took Angela her lunch, right?’. And I’d say yes. The doctors said it was from the concussion,” Lena giggled, leaning in closer and whispering, “I think it’s cause you’re in  _ looove _ .”

“Shut up,” Fareeha whispered harshly, peering to make sure Angela was still sleeping. Despite Lena’s raucous laughter she and Ana were both somehow still passed out. Settling back in bed, she listened to the rest of Lena’s tale.

At Fareeha’s dazed and concussed insistence, Lena stopped at the pharmacy, intending only to drop of the lunch. She was stopped by Angela, who knew, with a single glance at Lena, shaken with the beginnings of a black-eye forming, that something bad happened. After hearing the abbreviated story, Mei insisted that it was okay for Angela to leave.

“She’s been here ever since,” Lena said, with another sly grin, lowering her voice again. “Probably because she’s in  _ looove _ . ”

Fareeha reached forward to swat at her, but pain spread through her chest and ribs. The sound of her pained groan woke Ana, slowly at first, but when she saw Fareeha, she was quickly at her side. She smothered her with kisses on her cheek and head before pulling back with a stern face and an accusatory finger.

Over the next thirty minutes, Ana scolded her for picking a fight with Hana’s dad, Lena chiming in every so often. The two were loud enough to wake Angela. Fareeha cast her a pleading look, silently begging for help. The tired woman smiled and joined the other two women in their gentle reprimanding.

Fareeha knew there was probably a better way to get the kids out of the house, but it was covered in red tape. She was far enough removed from the situation to take a knife and cut through all of it, showing the police and social services who that man really was. Ana informed her that Satya took the case and the children would not be going back to live with them.

Angela, looking thoroughly exhausted, left a little after midnight, but not before giving Fareeha hug, whispering, “I’m glad you’re okay,” into her shoulder. Soon after she left, Ana called Reinhardt to update him and Hana, who were both worried; Lena called Emily to do the same. The three spent the night watching late-night television before falling asleep, lulled by the rhythmic beeping of the IV.  


Fareeha only spent one day in the hospital, staying for observation, to make sure nothing worsened over night. She left the next day with two bruised ribs, a split lip, broken nose, and a face swollen and covered in bruises. It was worth it.  Lena handled the discharge papers and picked her up at the front of the hospital before dinner. When they arrived at home, she hobbled inside and was greeted by her family, Hana included.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kinda had a pretty hard time wrapping the chapter up. i feel like it's kind of abrupt. oh wells.
> 
> hope you guys enjoy it!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy cow. I done did it. I posted a chapter and it wasn't 42 months later.
> 
> I kinda rolled off my high of writing the last chapter... and never stopped. And then stopped for a minute (literally like so close to the end)... but then redeemed myself and finished it without stringing you guys along for ages!
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy!

In the days after Hana’s birthday and Fareeha’s fight, things changed for better and for worse. Satya launched a full investigation into the foster family, keeping Ana and Fareeha in the loop as much as she legally could. Better yet, Hana was happily living with Ana and Reinhardt.

They took her to get a new phone and some miscellaneous things for her new bedroom, taking joy in her excitement. Her basement room was finally finished, with posters adorning almost every available wall space, a bright pink bed, and a huge desk with her new gaming computer. Ana gave her the spare key to their second car, so she was able to drive to school and work, instead of taking the bus.

The day after coming home from the hospital, Fareeha felt something off with her leg. When Howard kicked her, she tumbled down the stairs hitting her leg hard near the prosthetic. The prosthetic itself was fine, albeit slightly dented and scuffed from the fight, but the circuitry was sluggish. The usually seamless connection between her brain and the leg was slowing, until it all together stopped less than a week later.

She’d been struggling with it for days, but ignored it, hoping the issue would resolve itself as it had done once or twice before. With dinner in hand, she was walking toward the table when her leg stopped working mid-step. She fell, plate shattering leaving the floor a messy mixture of meatloaf, vegetables, and a small amount of blood from where a stray piece of ceramic cut her.

Searing pain shot through her chest from her freshly bruised ribs. Lena called Ana while Fareeha lay, almost sobbing in pain on the floor. Before Emily could even finish bandaging the small cut on Fareeha’s palm, Ana and Reinhardt rushed through the door, not bothering to even knock. After understanding the situation, Rein gently picked her up off the floor and placed her on the couch, rushing off to get fresh clothes.

With a heavy thud, Ana dropped the thick binder filled with Fareeha’s medical information on the table, searching for the orthopedic surgeon that specialized in the cybernetic prosthetic. Thankfully, the surgeon was located on the west coast, and her office was still open. While her mother argued with a receptionist on the phone, Fareeha changed and sat, dejected, on the couch while they made plans for an emergency surgery only two days later.

She spent the rest of the evening with her leg elevated, watching hockey while Lena packed her suitcase, filling it with her most comfortable and favorite clothes. After talking to the doctors office, Ana and Reinhardt both called and haggled with several different airlines, trying to get them the best seats. On the couch, Emily sat with her, half watching the game while booking a hotel room for the trip.

Her skin crawled. She didn’t want another surgery. She hated going under, waking in a fog after doctors had taken her apart, only to rebuild her. She didn’t want it, but she needed the prosthetic, so she dealt with it. Fareeha was thankful for her family, for her friends— doing all these things for her, helping her when she needed it most.

They had been here for her since day one. Since the moment she’d woken realizing she was only half the person she used to be. Her mother never left her side at the hospital, sleeping on uncomfortable, lumpy cots or stiff recliners for weeks at a time. She talked (and argued) with every single one of Fareeha’s doctors, making sure she got the best care possible.

She and Reinhardt even rented their home out for almost six months while staying at Fareeha’s place right after the incident. They stayed in the hospital in shifts. When he was stuck at home, Reinhardt took to fixing every little thing wrong with Fareeha’s apartment— leaky faucet, uneven side table, anything to keep from thinking of his little Fareeha, broken, in a coma.

He took it worse than her mother. Both of her parents were accustomed to war, having met while serving, but Reinhardt was always so emotional, quite the opposite of Ana. He cried every time he came to see her in the hospital, telling stories of her childhood. Remembering a time when she was young, innocent, and _whole_ — ignorant of the horrors of war.

Lena was the best friend she could ask for. After getting her prosthetic, she took her to and from physical therapy, there every step of the way as she relearned how to walk. She was Fareeha’s rock when she finally heard the truth of what happened— Genji killed in action, Jesse and Jamison losing limbs, her medical discharge. She woke in the night when Fareeha’s sobs were too much, getting in bed next to her, holding her while she cried.

Emily was just as important in Fareeha’s recovery as anyone else. She took shifts staying in the hospital when she was still in a coma, refreshing the flowers, talking to her when no one else was there. When she came home, Emily cooked for her every day, asking Ana for Egyptian recipes and her favorite meals. She did all the chores Fareeha was unable to do on her own, all without being asked.

They weren’t just her friends, they were her family. Fareeha couldn’t ask anything more from them. Seeing them care so much for her, filled her heart to the brim with a strange mixture of emotions. Grateful they cared enough to put everything on hold to care for her. But in times like this, it was hard to connect with them. They were on autopilot, doing things they’d done hundreds of times before. It didn’t mean that they cared any less because they were in a routine.

The hockey game wasn’t holding her attention. The Canucks were winning, but she didn’t care. She felt numb and hollow, frustrated that her leg stopped working. Annoyed her family had to do all these things for her. Angry that she wasn’t normal— that she had to deal with things like this. Tired of having to be taken care of.

Her fingers itched. She wanted to talk to someone— she wanted to talk to Angela. But what would she say? She wanted to vent, to pour out all her frustrations and fears, but she couldn’t— not with her. She didn’t know the truth, yet. To be honest, Fareeha didn’t want her to. If she called, Angela would hear the difference in her voice, she was good at that. She’d heard it the night before Hana’s birthday. Fareeha hated to lie to her then. She couldn’t do it again.

So, she didn’t. She tossed her phone on the edge of the couch, out of reach. No temptation. She tipped her head back into the couch cushions and closed her eyes, trying to ignore the unwanted memories that came with these spiraling thoughts. The faces of the men and women she’d lost. The flash of explosions and gunfire. When they didn’t go away, she opened her eyes and forced herself to watch the game.

She and her mother boarded a plane the next day and arrived in California by the afternoon. Before heading to the hotel, they met with Dr. O’Deorian. She ordered a quick CAT scan to better see the what was going on with her leg. An hour later, Fareeha and her mother sat in the stuffy, gray office with the doctor. Studying her computer screen, the she confirmed that the nerve sensors detached from the base of the prosthetic.

The procedure, she explained, would be quick and easy— “We just need to reattach the sensor.” It sounded simple enough, but all Fareeha heard was— “We’re going to slice you open and poke around”. Nothing could convince her otherwise.

Dr. O’Deorian had done all of her previous prosthetic surgeries, but Fareeha never really liked her. She was unsettlingly straightforward and never really seemed to care. Her mother always wanted to ask a million questions, and the doctor answered each of them with a stiff smile and an increasing amount of medical jargon. If only she knew that didn’t deter Ana, who used to be a field medic. It only fueled more questions.

By the time they got to the hotel, Fareeha was exhausted. Her phone pinged with a text. Angela’s smiling face appeared on her lock screen with a text asking how she’d been. She ignored it. Exhaustion, fear, and anger took precedence over the guilt she felt when she put her phone on the bedside table and turned out her light.

The surgery was, like Dr. O’Deorian said, quick and almost painless. She was under anesthetic by nine in the morning, clammy hands slowly losing their tight grip on Ana’s until she fell unconscious. The team of surgeons rolled her out of the room, Ana kissing her head before letting them take her through doors she wasn’t allowed to go. She shed a few tears, and called Reinhardt and Lena to update them.

Only three hours later, Fareeha was waking from her induced sleep. Unnamed doctors stopped by her recovery room asking her to wiggle her fingers, or push down on their hands like she would a gas pedal. She could move her leg again, but the pain was excruciating around the base of the prosthetic and in her quad and hamstring muscles. That was to be expected. The young doctors wrote notes in their charts and left the room.

Dr. O’Deorian stopped by, absentmindedly entering the room while flipping through her chart, no doubt reading all the things the others wrote. She said the pain was normal, that Fareeha would need to rest for two weeks. She wasn’t allowed to put weight on her leg and she would need to go through six weeks of physical therapy. Ana studied the printout of local rehab specialists and information on how to clean the surgical wound.

With a disinterested wave, the doctor left, indicating that if anything more happened, to call her office and leave a message. Two hours and a disgusting hospital lunch later, a nurse stopped by with crutches and discharge papers.

They stayed in the hotel one more night before driving back, as Ana was concerned about Fareeha developing a blood clot. Sixteen hours trapped in a car was not Fareeha’s idea of a good time, especially not after having surgery. Thankfully enough, the doctors prescribed pain medication that left her drowsy and relatively pain-free. She slept most of the way home, waking only to hear snippets of Ana talking with Rein or worse, her audiobooks.

When they got home, Fareeha was still dazed from her medication. Rein stopped by the house to carry her inside, depositing her on the foldout couch bed. She woke hours later, unsure how or when they got home. Emily made her favorite lentil soup and Lena had a bunch of hockey games queued up on the DVR waiting and ready for her to watch.

Because she couldn’t climb the stairs without assistance, Fareeha was forced to live on the couch until she was off the crutches. Every few days, someone would help her up the stairs and she’d cover her leg with a huge trash bag and duct tape before showering while sitting on a chair. Before returning back downstairs, Lena or Emily would grab a few sets of clothes and they’d help her back down stairs.

Hana tried to visit. They’d play games on the old, dusty PS3 Emily brought out, and Fareeha would put on a fake smile. But she was getting busier. She worked more hours at the cafe, midterms were coming up and she was spending more time with Brigitte. The two were getting closer, having gone on multiple “outings” together. When Fareeha teased her, Hana blushed and denied that they were dating.

The inactivity was slowly eating away at Fareeha. She didn’t watch all the hockey games Lena recorded, trying to space them out. Sometimes she’d rewatch the more eventful games, biding the time. Fareeha played through old games, but soon they got repetitive and boring. Without being able to occupy herself with something, anything, she couldn’t ignore the looming thoughts that threatened to overtake her.

Slowly, she became more and more reclusive. Emily continued to make her favorite foods, but Fareeha grew tired of it, only eating a few bites before leaving it on the coffee table. Her nightmares worsened. Horrifying visions conjured in her mind and woke her in a cold sweat nearly every time she tried to sleep.

A week after her surgery, Fareeha was at her lowest point in a long time. She lost interest in everything, resorting to a perpetual state of apathy or frustration. If she wasn’t sleeping, curled up on the couch, she was angry and lashing out at Lena or her mother. It was hot or cold, never in between.

She hardly looked at her phone since she got home, only using it to respond to Hana. The texts from Angela were wracking up. Every time she received a new one, she pushed her phone farther away, ignoring the text. When she’d call, and the background lit up with a picture of them at Hana’s party, she turned the phone over, ignoring it until the ringtone stopped.

“You’re still not taking her calls?” Lena asked, bringing a plate of eggs and bacon for Fareeha. She adjusted herself on the bed, moving extra pillows behind her so she could sit properly, and took the plate of food. She ignored Lena’s question in favor of taking a bite of breakfast focusing her eyes on the television.

Lena sighed, sitting on the loveseat with her own breakfast in hand. “You know she’s asking about you, right? She’s been texting me. Even asked your mum about you when she picked up your prescriptions.”

“I don’t care,” Fareeha muttered, absently watching the Saturday morning cartoons.

“Yes, you do,” Lena pressed. “All teasing aside, you care about her. A lot. And she’s concerned about you.”

“I don’t care,” Fareeha glared at Lena. “I don’t want to talk about this.”

She was used to the venom in Fareeha’s tone— used to the years of Fareeha cycling through the symptoms of depression. This anger was how she coped. With a frustrated sigh, Lena sat back in the couch. “Jeez, Ree. You never want to talk about it.”

“Just leave me alone,” Fareeha said, putting her half eaten breakfast on the coffee table. She rolled over, putting her back to her best friend, hoping she’d take the hint. For a few minutes, it was quiet. Only the sound of the fork scraping against the plate and the television filled the room.

“We hear you at night, you know. Your night terrors. They’re not getting better,” Lena said slowly, finishing her breakfast and stacking her plate on top of Fareeha’s. “It doesn’t bother us, really. I have my fair share of ‘em, and I didn’t go through anything close to what you did.”

When Fareeha didn’t respond, Lena said, “We just want to help.”

“I know,” Fareeha growled, growing more frustrated. “I know you’re just trying to help. But nothing helps, okay? It’s been three years and nothing has helped. It’s life. Leave it alone.”

“It doesn’t have to be,” Lena pleaded, standing up and moving around the couch to sit facing Fareeha. “You can talk to your doc— try new meds. You can talk to someone, even if it’s just me! Or there are meetings for people with PTSD. I’d even go with you!”

Fareeha sat up quickly, snarling, eyes dark with pent up anger. Lena didn’t flinch; she held her own against the brewing storm of Fareeha’s rage. “I’ve done all of those things. They never work. What more do you fucking want?”

“Fine,” Lena retorted, throwing her hands up in defeat. It was always a fight when they talked about this. What hurt worse than her words was the fact that Fareeha refused to accept help. “I’m done with this conversation.”

Three years of the push and pull fighting. Three years of trying and failing to help Fareeha through her depression. Lena knew that it was hard— she struggled with PTSD, too. She could never begin to imagine the things Fareeha went through, but she knew war. She knew loss and nightmares. She had triggers of her own.

She knew Fareeha needed help and she tried. But sometimes it was exhausting. Fighting with someone who refuses help when they desperately need it was exhausting in so many ways. It was such an emotional weight to carry— and Lena would carry it to the day she died. But sometimes, she just needed to know when to stop and walk away. Now was one of those times.

Lena stood abruptly, stomping off toward the stairs, away from the urge to fight back— from the possibility of saying something she’d regret. Seeing her best friend storm off, hurt and angry, Fareeha softened instantly. “Wait. Come on, Lena, I’m sorry. I don’t want to fight.”

“Fareeha,” Lena stopped short of the stairs, hand still on the banister, an uncharacteristically deep sadness etched into her features. “We’re all trying to help. Me, Emily, your mom and Rein. Even Jesse has tried to reach out to you. But you push us all away. You keep us at arms length,” Lena shook her head, looking away and blinking back tears. “It’s so hard, Ree, to see you struggling. To see you hurting and not being able to help, because you won’t let us.”

Fareeha ran a hand through her messy hair and sighed. She dropped her head back into the pillows, looking at the ceiling, and accepted the inevitable tears. Lena didn’t move; she stood, waiting for a response— waiting for a fight. A thick silence hung between them. Fareeha’s tears caught her off guard.

“I’m sorry for being difficult,” Fareeha said, voice trembling. “Every time I talk about it, I just feel worse. I already feel bad. I-I’m afraid what feeling worse will feel like.”

As if speaking it made it real, a sudden rush of fear and hopelessness flooded Fareeha. The dam broke and her tears broke loose. With a shuddering breath, she started crying. “I just— I’m so afraid all the time. And I can’t sleep ever.”

Lena raced back to the couch and sat next to Fareeha, wrapping her arms around her broad shoulders. Instantly, cries turned to sobs and Fareeha held onto Lena until she felt pain spread through her chest.

“Shh,” Lena whispered into Fareeha’s hair. Failing to keep her own emotions at bay, Lena cried with her. “It’s goin’ to be okay.”

They stayed like that for a long time. Slowly their sobs faded into quiet whimpering, and then the occasional sniff. After three or four episodes of random cartoons, Lena’s stomach growled and they both pulled back and laugh tiredly.

“I’ll go make us some lunch,” Lena giggled, wiping her face and leaving the room. It didn’t take her long to whip up some sandwiches and fruit. She smiled when Fareeha hungrily grabbed the plate and took a huge bite.

Sometimes it was a fight, sometimes it wasn’t. But Lena knew the beginnings of Fareeha’s recovery when she saw it. They ate in silence, occasionally laughing at the stupidity of newer cartoons. When she was finished, Lena added the plate to their collection from breakfast.

“You should really text her, ya know,” she smirked, nudging Fareeha with her shoulder. Her grin widened when she heard an overdramatic whine.

“I know.”

“Like, maybe right now?” Lena said, snatching Fareeha’s plate, still half filled with food, and replaced it with her phone.

“Hey!” Fareeha dropped the phone and tried to grab her plate but Lena held it far out of reach. “That’s not fair. I’m injured.”

“Ah, ah. It isn’t fair that you’ve been ignoring her for almost two weeks.”

With a groan, Fareeha gave up. Had it really been that long? The days blended together when she stopped caring. She sank into the couch and shot Lena a defeated look. With a dejected sigh, she asked, “What do I even say?”

Two weeks. She’d ignored Angela for two weeks. She wouldn’t be surprised if she wanted nothing to do with her at this point. Early on in her recovery process, Fareeha lost a lot of friends when she fell into her depressive cycles. They couldn’t stop their lives and wait around for her to get better. Lena, Emily, and Jesse were the few who stayed.

She wouldn’t fault Angela if she didn’t respond— if she gave Fareeha a dose of her own medicine. It would hurt though. Somehow, Angela started getting through Fareeha’s carefully built walls. Her kindness and brightness seeped through the cracks in the walls. She was becoming part of Fareeha’s life. And she’d just shut her out completely, without warning. Losing her, even just as a friend, would hurt so bad.

“Stop stressing. Tell her the truth,” Lena said, breaking through Fareeha’s twisting thoughts.

Fareeha scoffed, shaking her head violently, “The truth?”— she laughed, sickly, grimacing at the thought— “I can’t tell her the truth.”

“You don’t have to tell her the whole truth,” Lena rolled her eyes. “Just tell her you had surgery and you’re in recovery and sleeping a lot.”

That was a smart idea. Fareeha didn’t have to tell Angela the whole truth to be honest. Besides, she couldn’t ever imagine Angela being upset with her just because she wasn’t ready to talk about something. She was so nice about everything— so gentle and kind and perfect. And Fareeha was letting her get away.

With renewed determination, Fareeha picked up her phone and opened it. Her fingers hovered over the messaging app, but quickly changed directions and clicked on the contacts, searching the A’s for the beautiful picture. She pressed Angela’s name and shoved Lena off the couch. “Alright, go away. I’m calling her.”

She heard Lena’s giggling, but it was dimmed by the thundering in her chest. Suddenly, she was nervous and she wasn’t quite sure why. What was she going to say? Was Angela even going to want to talk to her? Was she mad? Was she at work? A million thoughts rattled in her head.

All the questions disappeared when she heard a familiar, eager voice on the end of the line. A voice she didn’t know that she missed so much. A voice that seemed to shed brightness over all the darkness that had been in her life.

“Fareeha! Hi, I missed you!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> didn't do much editing, so if you see anything wild lmk! 
> 
> And as always, thanks for reading!!!


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